Beijing starts military exercises

From the Manila Standard Today (Jul 24): Beijing starts military exercises
 

The Chinese navy kicked off 10-day military exercises in the disputed South China Sea amid heightened tensions in the region, especially with the US, the Economic Times reported on Thursday.

Playing down the significance of the exercises, the Chinese military said the drills, started in the east of Hainan Province, were not directed against neighbors.

“The drills are regular military exercises scheduled in the annual plan, without targeting any other country,” the Ministry of National Defense said.

In Manila, Malacañang on Thursday rejected the Chinese ambassador’s call to Manila to drop its arbitration case against Beijing to settle their territorial row in the South China Sea.

“The Philippines’ position has not changed—which is for a rules-based approach and a peaceful resolution to the maritime entitlement issues in the West Philippine Sea or South China Sea,” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma told reporters.

He made his statement after Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying asked Manila to drop its arbitration case before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Netherlands.

Earlier, Chinese Ambassador to Manila Zhao Jianhua said China will not fight a war against the Philippines or seek any kind of military solution to the South China Sea dispute, as the door for bilateral negotiation remains open.

“It is China’s interest as well as in our neighbor’s interest to keep the South China Sea a sea of peace, a sea of cooperation and a sea of friendship,” Zhao said.

“We would like to continue our policy for the peaceful settlement of the disputes we have, not only with the Philippines but also with other claimants in South China Sea.”

Zhao seemed to be dismayed by the Philippines’ ignoring of China’s repeated call to settle the sea row through bilateral means, saying that before the Philippine side filed the arbitration case, the channels for bilateral consultation were open and working.

“To our surprise, with the decision to file the arbitration case, the Philippine side claimed that the bilateral negotiations were useless because, after so many years of talks and so many rounds of negotiations, nothing has been produced,” Zhao said.

Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose has repeatedly said that bringing the case to the UN tribunal is the only way to settle the conflict peacefully, since both the Philippines and China want the issue settled amicably. 

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2015/07/24/beijing-starts-military-exercises/