Global Times recently reported that, during a TV interview, the Philippine President Aquino III publicly “laughed at” the Chinese South China Sea policies. Aquino commented that China proposed a “joint development” plan for the South China Sea resources while claiming sovereignty to all strategic regions. He called this “they are mine but we’ll share with you” plan “a joke.” In the interview, Aquino also refused one-on-one negotiations. He indicated that all other parties with sovereignty claims, such as Vietnam, should be present at the negotiations. In the meantime, Aquino highly praised the new national security bill Japan passed recently and reaffirmed the strategic partnership between Japan and the Philippines. Chinese analysts thought that China invited all parties to the joint-development plan with an open heart. However, the Philippines has been trying to further complicate the situation by refusing one-on-one negotiations.
Source: Global Times, September 24, 2015
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