In the issue of West Philippine Sea dispute, Sr. Associate Justice Antonio Carpio considers China’s claim as the “grandest disinformation” a country has disseminated.
“I call this the gigantic fraud on the human race. It’s the disinformation of the millennium,” he said during his speech on democracy and disinformation at the Ateneo de Davao University last August 23.
His talk was titled “Fake History, Fake Claims.”
Citing different sources including Chinese maps, books, and media outlets, Sr. Justice Carpio shared that China propagated “false” historical narratives which contained proofs of Chinese activities in the West Philippine Sea 2000 years ago.
“Diplomat, professor, they know this by heart, and they believe it. They sincerely believe it. It is the only historical narrative that speaks, talks to them,” Sr. Justice Carpio said, pertaining to the “faulty” and “distorted” narrative learned by every Chinese generation.
Through their concept of the nine-dash line, China submitted a map to the United Nations and formally declared that it owns more than half of the West Philippine Sea including the Scarborough Shoal.
Furthermore, former Minister Wang Yi declared that a “narrowed body of water merely separated both countries.”
Sr. Justice Carpio interpreted this claim as an assertion that China will not give up a square inch of territory.
On the other hand, Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed his desire to enhance practical cooperation on both sides through his opinion article, “Open up a New Future Together for China-Philippine Relations.”
“From 12 Chinese Dynasties, the southernmost territory of China never reached Scarborough Shoal and Spratlys,” Sr. Associate Justice Antonio Carpio pointed, repeatedly emphasizing the false claims of China.
He added that Filipinos should collaborate with other ASEAN countries to make China realize their “fake nine-dashed line claim” to the West Philippine Sea.
“We have to educate our friends, like Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei. Together, we all convince Chinese (regarding their false claim). I think in the long run they will accept that they never own the South China Sea since 2000 years ago,” he said.
He also admitted that some Chinese felt embarrassed for believing the narrative after the Tribunal released its decision.
“We have to convince the Chinese people. The Chinese are inherently good people. The only problem is they have been taught by only one historical narrative and that narrative happens to be totally false, so we have to educate them” he added.