Dana Rohrabacher: “Of course I support the gentleman's position that we should return those bells. It is an insult to the people of the…”

“Of course I support the gentleman's position that we should return those bells. It is an insult to the people of the Philippines. There is no reason for a country that is so close to us now that we should not bend over backwards to be sensitive to their pride in those parts of their culture. But let us note when we talk about the Philippines that that is one of the lesser problems and challenges they face. They are working hard to develop their economy, they are working hard and struggling hard to make sure that they maintain a democracy, but one of the greatest threats to the Philippines now comes from mainland China. The Chinese, the Communist Chinese, are in a territorial dispute with the Philippines, and we in the United States who support democracy, we in the United States who believe in a more peaceful world and a peaceful solution to the problems in the Pacific should stand very closely to the Philippines at this time and let the Communist Chinese know that we will not tolerate the use of military force the Chinese seem bent on doing in their intentions to grab the Spratley Islands. Already we have been told that a permanent Chinese presence has been established in the last few years in the Spratley Islands. This is outrageous.”