China slams Philippines over disputed islands

From the Daily Tribune (Apr 27): China slams Philippines over disputed islands

China on Friday hit out at the Philippines’ attempt to seek an international verdict on a territorial dispute over islands in the South China Sea, repeating that it would never give up its claims.

Manila is seeking a United Nations ruling on the validity of Chinese claims to the resource-rich sea, with a possible unfavorable verdict for China seen as a test of its willingness to yield over territorial disputes.

China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on its Web site that the Philippines was attempting to “cover in a cloak of ‘legality’ its illegal occupation of China’s islands and reefs.”

It called on the Philippines to withdraw all personnel and facilities from the islands that it said Manila was occupying.

“The position outlined by China will not change,” it added.

The statement came a day after leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) called for urgent talks with China to seek a resolution to the increasingly tense territorial disputes.

Asean members — the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei — also claim parts of the sea, as does Taiwan. The competing claims have for decades made the area one of Asia’s potential powder kegs.

The Philippines accused China of occupying a shoal close to its main island last year, and has sought to unite with other Asean countries to dispute China’s claims.
China has consistently rejected multilateral negotiations over the disputes, stating that discussions should occur through direct talks between countries.

China and other countries with claims in the South China Sea have boosted naval spending in recent years, while others including the Philippines have sought closer diplomatic and military ties with the United States.

Meanwhile, of the Asean overnight affair, no issue of Sabah was discussed, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto del Rosario explained yesterday in Malacañang how the 2-day Asean Summit had been capped by the topic that was focused mainly on the issues of maritime security affecting the China Sea and the neighboring countries in the region.

“Apparently, I was the only person present in all of the meetings. So I am the only one who can answer all of your questions, and I will endeavor to do that,” del Rosario said.
Del Rosario said that on the first day, upon arrival of the delegation headed by President Aquino until they went back to Manila, “there were essentially just three meetings.”

“The first was, after dinner on the first day. It was managed very well by the chair. I think the meeting for that evening lasted maybe an hour. So we discussed only one topic, and that was the topic of South China Sea. And we think that the chair had managed the meeting very well by placing the South China Sea, which we called a very important topic that should be discussed to be able ensure peace, security and stability in a region,” del Rosario said.

The DFA chief said that “the intervention was actually provided by President Aquino himself, and the position we took was: we are advocating a rules-based approach based on two components. These components being one, the DoC and the CoC; and two is the arbitration.”

Six nations are currently involved in territorial and maritime disputes in the South China Sea: China, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei. In 2002, the four Southeast Asian states, acting through Asean, negotiated a modus vivendi with China. This took the form of a Declaration on Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DoC) which is nothing more than a political statement. Its signatories agreed to settle their disputes peacefully and not to upset the status quo. The parties also agreed that the DoC would be the first step towards a more binding Code of Conduct (CoC).
“We think that both of these elements, major elements, are supportive of the rule of law approach. In terms of the CoC and the DoC, the President expressed his full support for full and effective implementation of the DoC; and on the CoC, he expressed very clearly the need for an expeditious completion of that mechanism,” Del Rosario said.

Del Rosario said “He (Aquino) talked, at length, about arbitration, about its importance, about the fact that it’s an open, friendly and durable solution to the disputes in the West Philippine Sea. He talked also about the benefits to all countries, starting with China, he emphasized that it clarifies the maritime entitlements of China, especially to its own constituents, in terms of what its expectations should be in accordance with international law.

“Secondly, it’s good for the Philippines, obviously because it will serve to define what is ours; it will serve to support what we are entitled to in terms of our fishing rights, in terms of our enforcement of our laws in those areas, and in terms of the fact that we are entitled to these areas in accordance with the EEZ as provided by the UNCLoS to us.
“And lastly, he also emphasized the need for all countries to appreciate the benefits of this arbitration because it does provide a resolution to the threats that’s offered — or you remove the threat or supports the freedom of navigation.

Del Rosario said that there were three or four other questions raised by other leaders.
“All of them were for advocating the application of the rule of law, and also the fact that the DoC and CoC are very important. There was a reinforcement of arbitration as a mechanism under international law that could be used to pursue disputes settlement mechanisms. I think that essentially was the essence of that meeting, and those were the key messages,” Del Rosario said.

Del Rosario said that “in the morning after, there was a three-hour retreat, and what the chair (Brunei) had announced is to give importance to the South China Sea issue. He indicated that we would continue, if desired. So those who had not been given time to provide interventions, they may discuss the South China Sea as well, and so the South China Sea issue actually became the major topic, in my view of the meetings in Brunei.”

Del Rosario said that from there in terms of the support signified by Aquino for the emphasis which Bolkiah placed on in terms of building an Asean community in terms of all of its pillars: the political, the economic, and the social aspects of it.

“There was a great emphasis in terms of doubling the efforts to be able to meet the objectives by 2015. And the President himself discussed certain initiatives that we are undertaking in the contribution of meeting those objectives. We talked about the Philippine efforts to be able to support and assist, and enhance our micro, small and medium enterprises,” Del Rosario said.

Del Rosario said Aquino had indicated what assistance has been provided in terms of loans, significant amount of loans to a greater number of people in these categories and businesses in these categories, as well as the facilitation arrangements that have been made so that the business can become more successful, greater numbers of employees can be created, and also that the businesses between countries.

Del Rosario said there was a discussion also in terms of post 2015 vision, what is that going to be like target should be beyond 2015.

Del Rosario said that “from there, we went to issues like North Korea.” With AFP

http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/headlines/item/13403-china-slams-philippines-over-disputed-islands