PHL, UK oppose actions threatening freedom of movement in SCS

From the Philippine News Agency (Jan 7): PHL, UK oppose actions threatening freedom of movement in SCS

The Philippines and the United Kingdom on Thursday denounced any actions that will impede freedom of navigation and overflights in the South China Sea amid China’s two successive test flights over a disputed reef being claimed by Manila.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario and visiting British Foreign Minister Philip Hammond both expressed concerns that “provocative” actions in the waters would fuel tensions in the region.

“We are very concerned about the fact that China had already flown their flights to Fiery Cross Reef and we are also concerned that there are plans to do more,” Del Rosario said at a joint press conference with Hammond.

The top Philippine diplomat feared that China’s latest action, if left unchallenged, could be a prelude to the establishment of an Air Identification Zone or ADIZ, which is similar to what it has imposed in 2013 over the East Sea, which it jointly claims with Japan. China's ADIZ in the East Sea is not being recognized by Japan and its ally, the United States.

“If this is to happen and if this is not challenged we will have a situation where China will take a position that ADIZ could be imposed and whether this is done in terms of a de facto basis of whether it is official, this will be deemed unacceptable to us,” Del Rosario said.

Vietnam, which also lays claim to the reef, called Kagitingan by the Philippines, protested the Chinese test flight. It was rejected by Beijing, insisting all its actions are done within its sovereign rights.

A diplomatic protest is being readied by the Philippines, Del Rosario said.

Although the UK has been consistent in its position that it does not take sides in the disputes, Hammond said Britain has a stake in the peace and stability of the South China Sea being an international maritime and trading nation.

“The UK consistently over the years has been clear that we urge all parties to the disputes to the South China Sea not to take actions that will increase tensions to avoid anything that will be provocative to any of the other parties to the disputes and that remains our position,” Hammond said.

As far as the UK is concerned, Hammond stressed that freedom of navigation and overflights are “non-negotiable.”

“They are red lines for us,” he said. “We will maintain the position that we, as an international maritime and trading nation, enjoy freedom of navigation and overflights in the South China Sea. We expect to continue to exercise those rights.”

Competing claims by the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have led to occasional flareouts, with analysts saying that the resource-rich waters could spark military conflict if overlapping territorial conflicts are not resolved.

Of all the six claimants, China and Taiwan harbor the most ambitious claims, asserting ownership of over 90 percent of the waters where a bulk of the world’s trade pass. However, China is more aggressive with its rapid construction of man-made islands, equipped with runways and buildings, on formerly submerged and disputed reefs. Beijing admitted that these facilities would have military purposes.

The Philippines challenged China’s claim before an arbitration court in The Hague, Netherlands to try to invalidate Beijing’s massive claim. A final decision is expected in the first half of the year.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=844284