China slams ‘inaccurate judgment’ on Belt and Road Initiative

MANILA, Philippines — China has blamed what it described as inaccurate judgment on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), saying it does not concern territorial or maritime disputes.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry defended the BRI after an ambassador hinted that India is highly unlikely to attend the second Belt and Road Forum in Beijing this month.

The ambassador said no country can participate in an initiative that ignores its core concerns of sovereignty and territorial integrity. 

“I would like to reiterate that the BRI is an open and inclusive initiative for economic cooperation. It never concerns territorial or maritime disputes,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said last Monday.

In pursuing the BRI cooperation, he said China and partner countries are committed to equality, openness and transparency, business operations centered around enterprises and to market rules and international norms. 

“For those with inaccurate judgment on the BRI based on misunderstandings due to lack of knowledge of the real situation, I would like to reassure them that China is sincerely and resolutely committed to the principle of consultation and cooperation for shared benefit, equality and mutual benefit,” Lu said.

“The fact that more countries and international organizations are taking an active part in the second forum is further proof to its success,” he added.

Since its initiation, Lu noted, the BRI cooperation has been inclusive and open to all countries that are interested in joining and working for win-win cooperation as it excludes no one. 

For his part, Philippine Ambassador to China Chito Sta. Romana said the forum is to explore where there can be complementarity between Duterte’s Build, Build, Build program and BRI because both focus on infrastructure development.

Meanwhile, the Chinese embassy in Manila said fears that China is using a debt trap on the Philippines in extending loans for infrastructure projects are “meaningless” and “nonsense.”

Jin Yuan, commercial counsellor of the Chinese embassy, said China signed only two loan agreements with the Philippines under the Duterte administration. 

The approximately $260-million loans, he said, is a small amount that only accounts for less than a percent of the total Philippine foreign borrowings.

Amid reports that President Duterte will attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, he was urged yesterday to walk the talk on his administration’s “belligerent posturing” on the West Philippine Sea dispute by cancelling the oil and gas exploration deal he signed with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Manila last year.

“We challenge the Duterte government to substantiate its verbal assertion with deeds by cancelling the deal, as China continues to occupy the Spratly islands,” Rep. Ariel Casilao of party-list group Anakpawis said.

Casilao added that revoking the memorandum of understanding on the exploration would also preserve national patrimony, as Recto (Reed) Bank, which is near the Spratly islands, is believed to store 18 million to 20 million cubic feet of natural gas, or seven to nine times larger than that of Malampaya.

“China is clearly on imperialist aggression, consolidating its hold on the (West Philippine Sea) by deploying military might and installing missile facilities for its geo-political interests against US positioning in the Asia-Pacific and to plunder resources in the area,” he said.         – With  Jess Diaz