00:00Recently, the U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, said that the Russian-Ukraine war is a proxy war between nuclear powers and needs to be ended.
00:15And meanwhile, the United States is setting more arms to this region and setting up more military bases in the Philippines.
00:23So, if the proxy war in Europe needs to be ended, are you concerned that a proxy war in Asia might be launched? Thank you.
00:35Actually, I really appreciate the viewpoint made by Deputy Prime Minister from Thailand.
00:43He said we should push forward cooperation and unity, not the division.
00:48So, it is inappropriate for the minister from Lithuania to attach a label on China, and it's clear rhetoric for division here in Asia.
01:04And my question is for the Philippine Secretary of Defense.
01:09As we know, both Vietnam and Malaysia have differences with China in the South China Sea.
01:18Yet, both countries have effectively managed these differences with China.
01:26So, my question is, why can't the Philippines do the same?
01:32And yesterday, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar mentioned, he advised your president to engage dialogue and communication with China.
01:44So, will the Philippines follow his advice and change its current approach to the South China Sea issue?
01:53All that the Philippines intend to act as a proxy for external powers, continue to serve as a shadow in the shadow play,
02:07as described by Singapore's former Defense Minister Nguyen at this year's Munich Security Conference.
02:20Now, to our Chinese interlocutors, I shall address you collectively.
02:30And thank you for the propaganda spills disguised as questions.
02:34First, the comparison between the Philippines, Malaysia, and Vietnam.
02:50Let us not forget that while we are members of ASEAN, we are sovereign countries, each with its own territorial integrity and sovereignty.
03:03And I am sure that if what China is doing to the Philippines is done to Malaysia or to any ASEAN country,
03:18you would see a different reaction.
03:20And certainly, as an ASEAN brother, the Philippines will stand up with that ASEAN brother in time of need,
03:31in support and in defense of what is international law and UNCLOS.
03:39As members of UNCLOS, we are all committed to support it.
03:46On the dialogue with China, unfortunately, in my personal opinion,
03:56the fact that the question was asked in the way it does,
04:02it engenders a deficit of trust in China's words vis-a-vis its actions.
04:11I just look back to 1995 on a place called Bischief Reef.
04:18There were a few bamboo structures erected there.
04:23And China said that these were temporary havens for fisherfolk.
04:30Now, you have an artificial military island, heavily militarized.
04:43China says that it has peaceful intentions.
04:46Why does it continue to deny the Philippines its rightful provenance under international law and UNCLOS?
05:03And as proof of this, we do not stand alone.
05:06No country in the world supports the nine-dash line claim of China or the idea that waters within this nine-dash line are internal waters of China.
05:25Several countries in the world, no less than 50, have joined the Philippines in condemning China's behavior in the South China Sea.
05:41None have agreed with China.
05:46And none has condemned the Philippines for standing up against China in the face of a threat to its territorial integrity and sovereignty,
05:57for which I thank the members in this chamber right now for your support.
06:05And thus, for dialogue to be effective, it must be coupled with trust.
06:11And China has a lot of trust-building to do, to be an effective negotiating partner in dispute settlement.
06:26We have to call a spade a spade.
06:31And that's what we see, and that is the biggest stumbling block to dispute resolution or dialogue with China.
06:41That deficit of trust, which I think any rational person or any person that is not ideologically biased with freedom of thought and freedom of speech will agree with me.
07:03And lastly,
07:04And lastly, external policy sometimes is a mirror of internal conditions.
07:11And vice versa.
07:14I, for one, cannot trust a country which imposes, represses its own people.
07:28I hope I have answered the propaganda to the satisfaction of everyone in this room.
07:38For one, could dry, let's pee a little more?
07:39All right.
07:39For the one, not it can be you.
07:40Oscopoly has a
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