Newly elected Philippine President Rodrigo R. Duterte has asked former president Fidel Ramos to head the country's negotiations with China over its territorial claims on the South China Sea. The move came in the wake of an international tribunal ruling recognizing the Philippines' claims.
Duterte said that Mr. Ramos was one of the individuals he planned to consult on how he should follow up on the ruling of the tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. The Wall Street Journal earlier reported that China has rejected the tribunal's decision.
According to the news agency, Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin has lambasted the international arbitration tribunal after delivering its rejection of China's territorial claims in the South China Sea. The senior Chinese diplomat called the proceedings as "manipulated by foreign powers" and "biased," and even questioned the tribunal's integrity and competence.
Liu contended that the five members of the tribunal lacked knowledge about Asian culture and were effectively employed by the Philippines, which filed the case against China. The arbitrators unanimously decided to invalidate China's claims over waters within a "nine-dash line" that covered most of the South China Sea.
The verdict, according to the report, also disallowed China to claim broad zones for exclusive economic use. It also criticized China's activities currently going on in the disputed waters, including its construction of man-made islands.
Duterte said at a testimonial dinner held in his honor that he would like to ask Ramos to head to China and start a back channel, the WSJ wrote in a more recent report. The dinner was also attended by Ramos.
However, the 88-year-old former president and former military commander told reporters that he did not receive a formal offer from Duterte. He did not indicate whether he would accept.
The WSJ also recalled that Ramos was one of the founders of the Boao Forum headquartered in Hainan, China. The Forum aims to promote economic dialogue in Asia.
Meanwhile, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang stated at a press briefing that China welcomes Duterte's intentions about sending an envoy. He also stressed that China wishes to resolve the issues on South China Sea through bilateral negotiations instead of legal arbitration.
Here is a video on a report of Duterte asking Ramos to head bilateral talks with China: