MANILA, Philippines – “China is still after our exclusive economic zone.”
Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio issued this warning on Thursday, noting that China’s seemingly slow march towards the contested areas of West Philippine Sea is “just temporary.”
“The intention of China is very clear. They want to control the West Philippine Sea,” Carpio said during a Foreign Correspondent Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) forum in Makati City.
Carpio, who was a member of the Philippine panel who won Manila’s arbitration case against China’s expansive claims in the West Philippine Sea in 2016, claimed that the Philippines must bear in mind that China’s intention from the very beginning was to “grab our EEZ.”
“They may slow down for a while but they will continue to march towards that objective,” Carpio said.
“There may be hiccups but those are just temporary. China is still after our EEZ,” he added.
Carpio also said that the Chinese government is teaching its people “false narratives” about the West Philippine Sea.