Palace backs China's call for resolution of Spratlys dispute

Despite an ongoing diplomatic dispute, Malacañang on Saturday backed Chinese President Hu Jintao’s call to Asian nations to resolve peacefully territorial claims over the Spratly Islands. In a radio interview, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said Hu’s call is consistent with the Philippines’ stand for peaceful resolutions to matters in the region. “Of course, we agree the dispute over the Spratlys should be resolved peacefully. All nations involved in the row, for one reason or another, must agree with [the idea of a] peaceful resolution," she said on government-run dzRB radio. Aside from China and the Philippines, other countries asserting territorial claims over Spratly Islands are Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Last Friday, Hu called on Asian nations to better cooperate in security matters to avoid disagreements in the region. He made the call at a regional gathering in southern China. Last April 5, the Philippines filed a formal protest with the United Nations over China’s “nine-dash line" territorial claim – based on a map with nine dashes over the entire South China Sea.

But Beijing raised an eyebrow over the Philippines’ claim on the Spratly Islands, saying China's dominion over the territories is “well-grounded" from historical and legal perspectives. “The Philippines’ claim is unacceptable. China owns sovereignty and jurisdiction over the island and adjacent waters," according to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei. On March 3, the Philippine military sent an aircraft to the disputed Reed Bank area near Palawan after receiving a report that Chinese patrol boats were trying to harass some Filipino oil explorers in the area. The Chinese were allegedly claiming that the oil explorers from the Department of Energy were inside Chinese territory, according to Lt. Gen. Juancho Sabban, chief of the Armed Forces’ Western Mindanao Command. Philippine authorities filed a diplomatic protest over the incident but China was silent over it. Early in April, acting Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said the Philippines will rely on the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in resolving the territorial dispute involving some countries having territorial claims over the Spratlys in the South China Sea. Del Rosario said the Philippines will also seek ASEAN's help in bolstering its relations with its longtime military ally, the United States, while strengthening its relations with Asian powerhouse China. — LBG, GMA News