AFP not alarmed by reports of China intrusions

MANILA, Philippines - China has not given assurance that it would cease intrusion into the Philippine territory in the disputed Spratly Islands, but the military said it is not alarmed because this is expected. “We expected that. How could they say that they are committing intrusion if they believe that the area is theirs?” Commodore Miguel Rodriguez, Armed Forces spokesman, said yesterday in an interview in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City. 

“We will be more surprised if they say we will no longer intrude. That is an admission that it is not their territory,” he added. 

Rodriguez said they remain optimistic that China would continue to work for stability in the region.

“They (Chinese officials) are very professional officials and they know that the way to go is through cooperation,” he said.

On Monday, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario – who met with Chinese officials in Beijing last week – admitted that China did not give any indication that it would cease intrusion into Philippine territory.

Del Rosario said he had informed Chinese officials that the Philippines is prepared to defend its position in the West Philippine Sea consistent with UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea).

“And we asked them (China) if they would be willing to do the same,” he said in a press briefing Monday.

Del Rosario said he suggested that the Philippines and China resolve their dispute through the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, an independent body that adjudicates territorial disputes.

He also said China prefers a bilateral approach to the resolution of the dispute. Del Rosario said that during his meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, the proposal of the US for a multilateral resolution to the dispute was not mentioned.

“The US was never mentioned in our discussion but I think it’s clear China does not advocate a multilateral approach and they prefer a bilateral strategic approach to dealing with the individual claimants,” he said.

The US has made it known that it supports the Philippines in the Spratlys dispute.

China has rejected the passage of a US resolution condemning the use of force in the West Philippine Sea, saying the resolution “turns a blind eye to facts, confuses right and wrong, and thus does not hold water.”

The resolution calls on all parties to resolve relevant dispute through multilateral and peaceful means and supporting the actions of US forces in ensuring free navigation in the West Philippine Sea, also known as the South China Sea.

 The Chinese Foreign Ministry said free navigation in the South China Sea has never been affected by the disputes and maintains that the diplomatic row be settled through bilateral negotiation.

The DFA said the resolution supports the proposal of the Philippine government for the peaceful resolution of the dispute through multilateral means.

The Philippines, China, as well as Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan claim either part or the entire Spratly Islands, which is located in the West Philippine Sea.

The group of islands is believed to be rich in mineral resources.

The Philippine government has accused China of intruding into its territory at least seven times this year. China has denied this and called on the Philippines to stop the accusations.

March, two Chinese ships allegedly bullied a civilian vessel commissioned by the Philippine energy department while conducting an oil exploration survey at the Recto Bank (Reed Bank) near Palawan.

The Philippine government stressed that Recto Bank is within Philippine territory and not among the disputed areas.

The Department of Foreign Affairs also claimed that a Chinese marine surveillance vessel and other People’s Liberation Army Navy ships were sighted in the vicinity of Iroquois Reef-Amy Douglas Bank in the West Philippine Sea last May.

The ships supposedly unloaded building materials, erected an undetermined number of posts and placed a buoy near the breaker of the Iroquois Bank.

The Iroquois Bank, located southwest of the Recto Bank and east of Patag Island (Flat Island), is within the Philippines’ 200 nautical miles exclusive economic zone.

Last month, the Navy dismantled a “foreign marker” in Boxall Reef, about 125 nautical miles from the shoreline of Palawan. Authorities, however, did not find any markings that would show that it originated from China.

Also last month, an unidentified aircraft buzzed over a group of fishermen in Dalagang Bukid Shoal, located about 130 miles from Balabac Island in Palawan. – With Pia Lee-Brago