PHL-Japan to tackle sea disputes in Manila talks – DFA

From the Philippine News Agency (Jul 26): PHL-Japan to tackle sea disputes in Manila talks – DFA

The Philippines and Japan are expected to discuss the territorial disputes in the South China Sea during Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit this weekend, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Friday.

Abe, who arrives Friday night for a two-day visit as part of his three-nation Southeast Asian swing that includes Singapore and Malaysia, will meet with President Benigno S. Aquino III Saturday to discuss “regional security issues,” Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez sad.

“The West Philippine Sea disputes will also be discussed as part of regional security issues,” Hernandez told a news conference.

Both countries have had separate territorial disputes with China that have flared recently. The Philippines is locked in a long-running dispute with China over the South China Sea while Japan and Beijing are contesting ownership over islands called Senkaku by Japan and referred as Diaoyu in Chinese.

Japan has expressed its full support to the Philippines’ decision to bring its territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea before a United Nations arbitration tribunal, which recently convened in The Hague, Netherlands to discuss Manila’s complaint. The Philippine case will try to declare as illegal China’s massive claims over the resource-rich waters.

The South China Sea - a strategic waterway where a bulk of the world's trade pass – had been a source of conflict among competing claimants the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, China and Taiwan.

The vast waters – claimed by China nearly in its entirety - is dotted with islands, reefs, cays, shoals and rock formations and is believed to be rich in natural gas and oil deposits.

Analysts feared the competing claims could spark a military conflict in the region.

Japan is one of only two strategic partners of the Philippines apart from the United States.

In 2012, Japan was the Philippines’ number one trade partner and provider of official development assistance as well as the second major source of approved investments and third source of tourist arrivals.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=548526