Taiwan protests Philippines' sovereign claim over Spratlys

Apr 18, 2011, 14:57 GMT

Taipei - Taiwan on Monday protested the Philippines' sovereign claims over the Spratlys islands, asserting that the archipelago belongs to the Republic of China.

Deputy Foreign Minister Shen Ssu-tsun summoned Philippine representative to Taiwan Antonio Basilio and Manila's top official in charge of Taiwan affairs Amadeo R Perez to the Foreign Ministry to lodge the protest.

He gave the pair a copy of Taiwan's statement stating ROC sovereignty over the Spratlys and surrounding waters. Taiwan cannot accept any claim to sovereignty over, or occupation of, these areas by other countries.

The statement urged the Philippines to refrain from adopting unilateral measures 'that might upset the peace and stability in the South China Sea.'

Basilio and Perez said they would convey Taiwan's stance to the Philippine government.

Taiwan's protest comes almost two weeks after Manila filed a formal protest in the United Nations over China's territorial claim over the entire South China Sea.

Mania's note was filed a note with the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (UNCLOS) on April 5.

The protest said the Philippine-claimed section of the Spratlys, called the Kalayaan island group u Manila, was an integral part of the Philippines.

Spratlys are claimed wholly or in part by Vietnam, Taiwan, China, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei, and all but Brunei have a military presence on one or more of the otherwise uninhabited atolls. The waters around the islands are believed to contain substantial petroleum reserves.

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