PHL verifying reports of Chinese missiles setup in South China Sea -- DFA

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 17): PHL verifying reports of Chinese missiles setup in South China Sea -- DFA

The Philippines on Wednesday said it is confirming reports that China has installed anti-aircraft missiles on a disputed islands in the South China Sea.

“We have first to verify the information,” said Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesman Charles Jose in a text message.

In a statement, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said Beijing has deployed an undetermined number of missiles on Woody Island, which is being claimed by Taipei along with Vietnam.

Although the Philippines has no claim over the island, it has always maintained the position that all claimant-states to the resource-rich waters should adhere to the rule of law, specifically the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), must not use force or intimidation and adhere to the principles of a non-binding and non-aggression pact on the South China Sea that was signed in 2002 by China and Southeast Asian states.

Reports of China’s positioning of missiles on the island came after the conclusion on Tuesday of a leaders’ summit between the United States and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Sunnylands, California, where they jointly called for the peaceful resolution of disputes and respect for legal and diplomatic processes without resorting to threat or use of force.

China is locked in years-long territorial conflicts with the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan over the resource-rich waters, where undersea minerals and huge oil and gas deposits have been discovered in several areas. Without an immediate resolution in sight, analysts feared that the overlapping claims can result into a full-blown military conflict.

Two of the most vocal claimants -- Philippines and Vietnam -- jointly accused China of intruding into its sovereign territories, blatantly violating international laws, engaging in reclamation activities, harassment of its fishermen and disrupting energy exploration in their respective waters.

The two countries have called on China to stop what they call an "illegal occupation" of its territories and to cease its massive expansion activities in several areas, where Manila and Hanoi both have claims.

Manila has a pending case against China before the The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration, where it is seeking interpretation of its maritime entitlements in the South China Sea, which is being claimed nearly in its entirety by Beijing. A final decision may be rendered by the court in May, according to Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario.

Vietnam backed Manila’s arbitration case when it submitted its position before the tribunal last December, a move that has infuriated China.

The resource-rich South China Sea, a chain of more than 100 islands, shoals, reefs and coral outcrops, straddles one of the world’s most vital sea lanes.

China, which insists historical rights over the waters, wants bilateral negotiations with each claimant to resolve the territorial row and opposes any meddling by non-claimant countries specially the US, which it has repeatedly condemned for intervening in what Beijing says is a purely Asian issue. Any bilateral negotiation would give China a huge advantage because of its sheer size, overwhelming military and naval power and economic clout.

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