The Philippines has rejected a Chinese offer to withdraw its ships from the Scarborough Shoal, if Manila did the same and delayed international arbitration on the territorial dispute.
China‘s offer was made “informally through back channels”, Roilo Golez, a former congressman and presidential national security adviser told the South China Morning Post yesterday.
Citing a “very reliable source”, Golez said: “The carrot is that there’s going to be mutual withdrawal [of ships off Scarborough Shoal] provided the Philippines will not file the memorial [a “memorandum” setting out the Philippines’ position on the dispute] on March 30.”