Hong Lei, Spokesman of Chinese Foreign Ministry, said, "China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha islands and its adjacent waters. Our claim has abundant historical and legal grounds.
The key and root of the dispute between China and the Philippines is the Philippines’ illegal occupation of some islets and reefs of the Nansha Islands.
China has always opposed the Philippines’ illegal occupation. China has been consistently working towards resolving the disputes through negotiations and dialogue, to defend Sino-Philippines relations and safeguard regional peace and stability. This has shown China’s utmost goodwill and sincerity"
.cntv.cn
23/1/13
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Στη Διαιτησία του ΟΗΕ Θέλουν να Προσφύγουν οι Φιλιππίνες για τη Διαμάχη με την Κίνα
China urges Philippines to avoid complicating South China Sea issue
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Beijing rejects Philippines’ tribunal push....
ReplyDeleteChina will adhere to the means of bilateral negotiations to resolve territorial and maritime delimitation disputes, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said on Friday.
"In the interests of maintaining the Sino-Philippine relations and the peace and stability in the South China Sea, China has been persistent in pursuing bilateral negotiations and consultations with the Philippines to resolve relevant disputes," spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in response to a question on the Philippines' efforts in pushing for the establishment of the Arbitral Tribunal in Relation to the Disputes between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea.
It is a commitment undertaken by all signatories, the Philippines included, under the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), that disputes relating to territorial and maritime rights and interests be resolved through negotiations by sovereign states directly concerned therewith, she said, adding that the DOC should be implemented in a comprehensive and serious manner.
"China will adhere to the means of bilateral negotiations to resolve territorial and maritime delimitation disputes both in accordance with applicable rules of international law and in compliance with the spirit of the DOC," Hua said.
Media reports say that an arbitral tribunal on the South China Sea disputes between China and the Philippines has been composed recently at the request of the Philippines.
"On January 22, 2013, the Philippines sent China a note verbale, attached with a notification, to initiate arbitration proceedings against China regarding issues of the South China Sea," said the spokeswoman......http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/777836.shtml#.UXtyq0qIxlQ
27/4/13
Commentary: Stop sending wrong signals over South China Sea...
ReplyDeleteBEIJING, July 18 (Xinhua) -- China-Philippine relations are not expected to turn for the better as overseas Filipinos, apparently emboldened by recent U.S. moves in the region, are planning anti-China protests worldwide.
The New York-based West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) coalition decided to launch protests shortly after Manila and Washington agreed to expand military cooperation.
According to a latest agreement, the United States will build a naval base in Subic Bay in the Philippines to beef up support for Manila and enlarge U.S. military presence in the region.
Such moves are easily interpreted as support for the Philippine government in territorial disputes with China, thus complicating the situation and jeopardizing stability of the Asia-Pacific region at large.
During last week's China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue, the United States promised that it will take no sides on the South China Sea disputes.
Yet the fact that Washington signed a deal on Subic Bay with the Philippines just days after the conclusion of the strategic dialogue with China puts the U.S. commitment in question.
It is irresponsible for the United States to send wrong signals to the Philippines at such a sensitive moment and in such complicated situation. Unless the United States changes its course of action, it is very likely that the Philippines would be emboldened to take more risky actions that could further worsen the situation.
The U.S. moves will certainly hurt its relations with Beijing, which U.S. President Barack Obama has called the most important bilateral ties in the world.
As for the Philippines, pinning wrong hopes on the United States and playing hardball do no good in solving the disputes.
The Chinese government has on various occasions urged all relevant parties to settle South China Sea disputes through dialogues.
To secure long-term peace and prosperity in one of the world's most economically dynamic and politically diverse regions, negotiations are the only right track forward. Any deviation from it leads to a dead end.
http://english.cntv.cn/20130718/104444.shtml
18/7/13
Protest in Philippines for South China Sea dispute...http://english.cntv.cn/program/bizasiaamerica/20130725/104271.shtml
ReplyDelete25/7/13
China under international pressure over islands dispute...
ReplyDeleteChina came under heavy pressure Oct.10 as U.S. and Japan both geared up to take on the South China Sea dispute during summit rounds despite Beijing’s reluctance to address the issue in public forums.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will press China and Southeast Asian nations to discuss the South China Sea dispute at an Asian summit, a senior U.S. official said. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was also attending, said late on Oct. 9 that the South China Sea dispute was a matter of concern to the entire region. In pointed remarks, he said Tokyo would continue to cooperate with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in resolving the row, according to Reuters.
US Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters on the sidelines of an East Asia Summit in Brunei that such a code was needed, Agence France Presse reported.
“A code of conduct is a necessity for the long term, but nations can also reduce the risk of miscommunication and miscalculation by taking steps today,” Kerry said, according to a copy of his remarks to the summit.
Kerry did not single out any countries by name, but China has come under growing pressure over its claims to virtually all of the body of water, and acts interpreted by some of its neighbours as aggressive.
Kerry added “all claimants have a responsibility to clarify and align their claims with international law”.
US role
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, which itself is embroiled in a heated dispute with China over islands and waters between the two powers, told reporters he “looked forward to the early conclusion of a code of conduct which is legally binding.
“The sea should be ruled by law and not by force,” he added.
China has resisted discussing the territorial issue with the 10-member ASEAN, preferring to settle disputes in the South China Sea through negotiations with individual claimants. It has also frowned at what it sees as U.S. meddling in a regional issue.
China claims almost the entire oil- and gas-rich South China Sea, overlapping with claims from Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Vietnam, the last four are members of ASEAN......http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/china-under-international-pressure-over-islands-dispute.aspx?pageID=238&nID=56027&NewsCatID=356
10/10/13
Oil Companies Try to Collaborate in Spite of S. China Sea Disputes...
ReplyDeleteMANILA — The Philippines and China have developed an openly antagonistic relationship over their South China Sea territorial disputes. But while top officials trade accusations, some groups are looking for ways to compromise and jointly drill for oil and gas.
The Philippines' only productive deep-water natural gas project is expected to run dry by 2024.
The country is desperate to develop new oil and gas wells in the resource-rich South China Sea. Philippines Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla said he is hopeful about the potential for an unlikely collaboration between U.K.-based Forum Energy and state-owned China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC).
"The alternative is not to drill, probably forever... You have to look at the alternatives," he said. "You want to preserve your sovereign rights but at the same time- without actually compromising your sovereign rights, can you come up with commercial [exploration], because we need it."
Both the Philippines and China need the energy locked underneath the seabed, but they cannot agree on how to divvy it up, since each country claims the region as its own.
While that larger issue remains unresolved, energy companies tied to the two nations are trying to find a path forward. Forum Energy is majority-owned by the Philippine-based Philex Petroleum, which has been trying to form a partnership with CNOOC to help it meet a contract to drill two natural gas wells at Reed Bank, just west of the Philippines western-most province, Palawan.
China claims indisputable sovereignty over practically the entire South China Sea, which Beijing says includes Reed Bank. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also claim partial or total stakes in the heavily traversed waters.
Philippines officials say they are hoping to find a way forward by taking some lessons from a deal between Vietnam and China, which have an arrangement to explore waters in the Gulf of Tonkin in the South China Sea, although exactly how they would divvy up the proceeds of a productive well remains unclear.
Yang Fang, a researcher at the Center for Asia and Globalization at Singapore’s National University, says the two nations are relying on clauses in the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) that allow parties in a dispute to have a provisional arrangement regarding maritime borders. And this provision would be untouched by any final determination of who owns what.
"Vietnam is more pragmatic and also maintains very open and regular communication with China both through the higher official level meeting and also the party to party communication. So that the political will is strong and also they can bring it down to the practical level," said Yang Fang.
Skeptics of the Vietnam / China model, such as Carl Thayer, an expert on South China Sea disputes at the Australia Defense Force Academy, say the agreement gives both parties the appearance of cooperation, while the core disputes remain unresolved.
"China has hyped these agreements and if you look at them very carefully, they only represent very modest steps forward. And they don't yet get into joint development," he said.....http://www.voanews.com/content/oil-companies-try-to-collaborate-in-spite-of-south-china-sea-disputes/1781315.html
1/11/13
China lehnt UN-Vermittlung in Streit mit Philippinen ab....
ReplyDelete07.12.2013 · Peking geht weiter auf Konfrontationskurs mit den Nachbarn. China lehnt es ab, an einem UN-Vermittlungsverfahren im Territorialstreit mit den Philippinen teilzunehmen.
China hat es abgelehnt, wegen eines Territorialkonflikts mit den Philippinen an einem Vermittlungsverfahren der Vereinten Nationen teilzunehmen, berichtete der britische Guardian. Die Philippinen sind einer von fünf Staaten, die die Vorherrschaft Chinas über das Südchinesische Meer anfechten.
In der vergangenen Woche hatte China zum ersten Mal seinen einzigen Flugzeugträger in die umstrittenen Gewässer vor der Küste der Philippinen geschickt. Die Regierung in Manila sah darin eine Verschärfung der Spannungen zwischen den beiden Staaten an. China teilte mit, der Flugzeugträger sei entsandt worden, um in der Region Seemanöver auszuführen. Begleitet werde er von zwei Zerstörern und zwei Fregatten.
Die Philippinen hatten den Fall vor das UN-Schiedsgericht gebracht, das den Fall in Den Haag im März anhören will. China ist der erste Staat, der einem solchen Vermittlungsverfahren eine Absage erteilte......................http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/ausland/territorialstreit-china-lehnt-un-vermittlung-in-streit-mit-philippinen-ab-12699549.html
7/12/13
Philippines to defy China fishing rules....
ReplyDeleteMANILA — The Philippines will defy Chinese fishing rules in disputed areas of the South China Sea and the navy will escort fishing boats to protect them if necessary, the Defence Secretary said yesterday.
China imposed fishing restrictions from the beginning of the year, requiring foreign fishing vessels to obtain approval before entering the waters.
Claims by an increasingly powerful China over most of the South China Sea, which is rich in energy reserves, have set it directly against United States allies Vietnam and the Philippines. Brunei, Taiwan and Malaysia also claim parts of the waters and China has a separate dispute with Japan in the East China Sea.
“We will not follow their rules,” Philippine Defence Secretary Voltaire Gazmin told reporters. “Why should we seek permission from another country? They do not own our fishing grounds. That’s ours, okay.”
Mr Gazmin said the navy would escort the boats if needed. “We still have the capability to secure them,” he said.
“There is really a need to show force because China has been very aggressive lately. They started with the Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ), then these fishing laws.”
China established the ADIZ in November in the East China Sea, requiring all aircraft to report flight plans to the Chinese authorities, maintain radio contact and reply promptly to identification inquiries.
The zone triggered protests from the US, Japan and South Korea. The fishing rules add another irritant to Sino-US ties.
Mr Liu Xigui, Director of China’s State Oceanic Administration, whose ships generally carry out patrols in the East and South China Sea, said the country would strengthen its sea presence this year, including around Scarborough Shoal, one of the main areas of contention with the Philippines.
“In 2014, we will ... resolutely uphold and protect the state’s maritime rights,” the official Xinhua news agency quoted him as saying.
The fishing rules do not outline penalties, but the requirements are similar to a 2004 law that says boats entering Chinese territory without permission can have their catch and equipment seized and face fines of up to 500,000 yuan (S$105,000).
China was imposing the fishing rules because it was projecting itself as a superpower, Mr Gazmin said. “But it is applying its being a superpower to smaller countries like us, which have no capability to fight militarily.” REUTERS
http://www.todayonline.com/world/asia/philippines-defy-china-fishing-rules
171/14
US presses Beijing over South China Sea dispute....
ReplyDeleteA top US diplomat has called on China to clarify or adjust its territorial claims in the South China Sea in accordance with international law.
Daniel Russel, assistant secretary of state for East Asia, criticised Beijing's so-called "nine-dash line" that outlines its claims.
He said there were "growing concerns" over China's "pattern of behaviour".
Tensions are already high over China's imposition of an air defence zone above disputed islands in the East China Sea.
Correspondents say there are fears of a fresh showdown in the South China Sea. Several countries claim competing sovereignty over islands, reefs and shoals.
China, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan all have claims in the region.
'Asserting control'
"There are growing concerns that this pattern of behaviour in the South China Sea reflects incremental effort by China to assert control over the area... despite objections of its neighbours," Mr Russel told a congressional committee.
"Any Chinese claim to maritime rights not based on claimed land features would be inconsistent with international law," he said................http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-26062033
6/2/14
China media slams Philippine leader comments on disputed waters...
ReplyDelete(Reuters) - Chinese state media has slammed Philippine President Benigno Aquino over remarks that compared Beijing's claims in the disputed South China Sea to demands for land made by Nazi Germany to the former Czechoslovakia.
In an interview with The New York Times published on Tuesday, Aquino called for more global support for the Philippines over the territorial issue, comparing it to the failure by the West to support Czechoslovakia against Adolf Hitler's demand in 1938.
"If we say yes to something we believe is wrong now, what guarantee is there that the wrong will not be further exacerbated down the line?" the paper quoted him as saying.
"At what point do you say, 'Enough is enough'? Well, the world has to say it — remember that the Sudetenland was given in an attempt to appease Hitler to prevent World War Two."
China's official Xinhua news agency blasted Aquino's comments late on Wednesday, saying Beijing's claims in the South China Sea have a "sound historical foundation" and that it also seeks to resolve the issue through dialogue rather than confrontation.
"His latest reported attack against China, in which he senselessly compared his northern neighbor to the Nazi Germany, exposed his true color as an amateurish politician who was ignorant both of history and reality," it said in an English-language commentary.
"He also joined the ranks of disgraced Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who created great controversy after comparing Japan-China relations to those between the United Kingdom and Germany in the run-up to the First World War last month at the annual World Economic Forum in Switzerland," Xinhua said..................http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/06/us-china-philippines-idUSBREA1505J20140206?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews
6/2/14