MANILA, Philippines — The soft approach to diplomacy that the Philippine government is doing to deal with China is not working, Vice President Leni Robredo said on Tuesday, as she urged the administration to convene the National Security Council to formulate the country’s response to the escalating security situation in the disputed region. It seems this is not working because the respect we are showing is not being reciprocated,” Robredo said in Filipino during the interview. The vice president, who belongs to the former ruling Liberal Party, said that convening the National Security Council could help the government formulate a more “decisive” response to the South China Sea issue. “The problem is we cannot solicit help because those we are turning to for support can’t see that we are steadfast in opposing,” the vice president said. It was reported last week that China put anti-ship cruise missiles and surface-to-air missile systems on three of its artificial islands in the South China Sea.

Source: Philippine Star May 08, 2018 07:54 UTC