Philippines fails to get assurances from China on Spratlys dispute

Jul 11, 2011, 8:52 GMT

Manila - The Philippines said Monday it has failed to get assurances from China that incursions into its waters near disputed territories in the South China Sea would stop as Beijing insisted it owns the entire area.

Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said his visit to Beijing last week has not resulted in a shift in China's position on the row over overlapping claims to the Spratly Islands and other South China Sea territories.

'The Chinese position has not changed, they still maintain sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea and the Spratlys,' he told reporters in Manila. 'Our position also has not changed.'

Del Rosario said he urged Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi to observe the code of conduct it signed with the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2002.

That enjoins all claimants to refrain from taking steps that could trigger conflict and to consult on possible joint ventures.

'The position that China has taken is that no such intrusions took place ... because from their point of view, the territorial sovereignty belongs to them,' del Rosario said.

The Philippine military has recorded up to seven incidents of intrusions by Chinese vessels into the country's waters near the Spratlys since February.

Manila has asked the United States for ships and jets that its military could use to patrol the area after Washington announced it was backing the Philippines in the dispute.

Del Rosario said he told Jiechi that it was best to discuss the territorial disputes in an international arena, adding that the Philippines was planning to bring the issue before the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea.

'The Philippines is prepared to defend its position in accordance with international law and we asked them if they will be willing to do the same,' he said.

But he said China maintained that the disputes over the Spratly Islands and other South China Sea territories should be resolved through bilateral dialogues and should not involve any multilateral approach.

'China's position was that we are neighbours, close friends, so do it quietly between us in the bilateral scenario,' he said.

Aside from the Philippines and China, the Spratlys, believed to be rich in oil, mineral and marine resources, are also claimed in whole or partly by Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan.