'Noy-Hu meeting eased tensions in West Phl Sea'

MANILA, Philippines -  The recent meeting between President Aquino and Chinese President Hu Jintao in Beijing has helped ease tensions in the West Philippine Sea, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said yesterday.

Gazmin said the commitment of China and the Philippines to transform the disputed Spratly Islands into a zone of friendship helped improve the situation in the area.

“With that statement, the tension has gone down. At least we have a starting point,” Gazmin, who was part of Aquino’s delegation to Beijing, said in an interview.

Gazmin is optimistic that the meeting would reduce the possibilities of incursions into Philippine territory.

“With the goodwill that was shown and demonstrated by the President and the reciprocal statements of the Chinese, I don’t think that (incursions would occur),” the defense chief said.

Gazmin believes the meeting between Aquino and Hu is a confidence building measure.

Aquino visited China from Aug. 30 to Sept. 3 to boost the country’s relations with Beijing and to lure Chinese investors.

During the meeting, the two leaders vowed to continue strengthening the strategic relationship for peace and development between the two countries.

They also agreed to increase regular high-level exchanges between their officials to promote mutual trust between the two countries.

Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to settle the West Philippine Sea dispute in a peaceful way and to abide by the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.

“Both leaders exchanged views on the maritime disputes and agreed not to let the maritime disputes affect the broader picture of friendship and cooperation between the two countries,” a joint statement of the Philippines and China read. “The two leaders reiterated their commitment to addressing the disputes through peaceful dialogue, to maintain continued regional peace, security, stability and an environment conducive to economic progress.”

The Philippines and 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 island group, which is said to be rich in mineral resources, has been the subject of a territorial dispute in the region.

The Philippine government has accused China of intruding into its territory at least seven times this year.

China has belied the allegations and maintained that its claim in the area is “indisputable.” It also accused the Philippines of issuing “irresponsible” statements that damage its sovereignty.

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

Recto Bank is well within Philippine territory and is not among the disputed areas.

The Philippine foreign affairs department 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 allegedly unloaded building materials, erected an undetermined number of posts and placed a buoy near the breaker of the Iroquois Bank.

The Iroquois Bank is located southwest of the Recto Bank and east of Patag Island (Flat Island) and is within the Philippines’ 200 nautical miles Exclusive Economic Zone.

Last June, the Navy removed a “foreign marker” in Boxall Reef, which is about 125 nautical miles from the shorelines of Palawan. In the same month, an unidentified aircraft buzzed over a group of fishermen in Dalagang Bukid Shoal, which is located about 130 miles from Balabac Island in Palawan.

The Philippines has expressed readiness to bring the dispute before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, an independent body that adjudicates territorial disputes.