China wants to maintain ‘friendly’ ties with PH

From the Manila Times (Nov 28): China wants to maintain ‘friendly’ ties with PH

A Chinese government official on Tuesday said that Beijing does not intend to bring the issue of overlapping sovereignty with the Philippines before the United Nations (UN) because it would like to maintain “friendly relations” with Manila. The Chinese official, who refused to be identified, said that the only way to resolve the territorial disputes between China and the Philippines is through bilateral negotiations. In September, China decided to bring its territorial disputes with Japan before the UN. But the same action, the source said, cannot be done with regard to the Philippines. “We didn’t do that with the Philippines because we want to talk [in a] more friendly way. We wanted to do it bilaterally [with Manila],” the Chinese official said in an interview with reporters. He also pointed out that Tokyo has been “more provocative” in asserting its claim on the Diaoyu or Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. The Chinese government on Monday said that Manila has misinterpreted the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) to strengthen its claims over the resource-rich disputed islands of the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). “The Unclos tackles maritime issues and not territorial disputes. The right way is to take it bilaterally. Negotiations must be done between the two disput[ing] countries,” the source said.....

http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/news/top-stories/36230-china-wants-to-maintain-friendly-ties-with-ph