China can’t stop PH from defending rights - Palace

Metro Manila, Philippines - Malacañang rejected China’s accusation that the Philippines is a “troublemaker” in the South China Sea, saying Beijing cannot stop Manila from defending its sovereign rights under international law.

Palace press officer Claire Castro said the Philippines will continue to assert its rights in the West Philippine Sea, citing the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated Beijing’s expansive claims.

“We cannot stop China from making its own narrative. But they cannot also stop us from fighting for our rights based on laws, UNCLOS, arbitral ruling, and for our being [an] independent country,” Castro said during a Palace press briefing.

Her remarks came after China’s Ministry of National Defense accused Manila of undermining regional stability following recent joint naval drills with Australia in the South China Sea.

Beijing claimed the Philippines was “acting recklessly at the behest of external powers” and warned of countermeasures against what it called “provocative behaviors.”

The Philippine government has repeatedly said its security partnerships are meant to strengthen defense capabilities and safeguard maritime rights, not to provoke conflict.