Brazilian Ambassador Paulo Fernando Dias Feres has said that what China is doing in the South China Sea “goes against all the principles of international law”.
He was replying to a question on the US and China rivalries in the region under the Indo-Pacific and Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) respectively at the DCAB Talk organized by the Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) on Thursday.
DCAB President Nurul Islam Hasib and General Secretary Ashiqur Rahman Apu also spoke.
The ambassador said Brazil was observing what is going on in the region, and they do not have a loud and clear position.
“Everything will depend on how the relationship (of the US) with China evolves. You know, people keep talking about the possible war between the United States and China. I hope they don't get there, because if they do, it's going to be a nasty one,” he said.
The ambassador, however, said that China and the US would deal with their own problems before dealing with each other.
“But if you consider all the possibilities, the real possibility, my view is that, like, it's not going to happen, at least not in the short term, he said: “because there are many forces to counter this sort of confrontation, and the United States has its problems right now, and China also has problems right now.”
“And I think that it will be more like a trade, you know, war, than a real military confrontation,” he said.
“What we think is this, like in the South China Sea, for instance, you have, like, many countries sharing the same seas. What China wants to do there, you know, goes against all the principles of international law.
“Because they cannot say, look, this sea belongs to me. So, you have Japan, you have the Philippines, you have, you know, a bunch of other countries that, you know, also share that sea.
“And they have their own interests, you know, and they should be considered as well."
The envoy said: “So, the Brazilian position is that, look, we follow international law, okay? So, if the international law says, look, you can do this or you can do, you can't, you cannot. So, this is the Brazilian position. So, we follow international law in every aspect. Because when you do this, you avoid taking wrong positions, right? Because it's something that's been agreed for everyone, you know?
“So, it will depend on how the situation between China and the United States evolves. But this much I can say, so we stay between the boundaries of international law.”
