China denies sending warship to contested islands

MANILA, Philippines - It was not a warship, but a fishery patrol vessel. Amid strong reactions over the supposed deployment of a warship by China to the South China Sea over the weekend, the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy to Manila Hua Ye clarified on Monday that what his country deployed in the contested islands near Palawan was a fishery patrol ship. China deployed the patrol boat after a confrontation between a US Navy vessel and Chinese ships in the South China Sea, and a few days after China protested the signing of the Philippines' Baselines Law last March 10. The baselines law stipulates that the Kalayaan Group of Islands and the Scarborough Shoal are a "regime of islands under the Republic of the Philippines." "We just sent a fishery patrol ship, not a warship, to the South China Sea. The ship will do help to the fishery and navigation protection," Hua said in a text message. The embassy spokesperson added that China did not violate the Declaration of the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea with the ship's deployment. Early on Monday, National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales said the Philippines will resort to diplomacy means in facing the issue, adding that help from the United States and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) may also be sought if necessary. Senator Francis Escudero described China's move as "gunboat diplomacy," while Muntinlupa City Rep. Rozzano Rufino Biazon said the sending of a patrol ship "is a step closer to acts of aggression by China." - with Johanna Camille Sisante, GMANews.TV