PHL, Chinese defense chiefs agree to avoid ‘unilateral actions’ over Spratlys

Defense officials from the Philippines and China met in Manila on Monday and vowed to avoid “unilateral actions" that could aggravate the long-standing dispute over the Spratlys Island. Chinese Defense Minister Gen. Liang Guanglie also denied that they have MIG jets, the type of aircraft that were allegedly used in harassing two Philippine Air Force OV-10 bombers that were patrolling last week over at the disputed islands. “He (Liang) said that in the inventory of the[ir] armed forces, they do not have MIG and I told them that the Armed Forces has continuously denied that they were able to identify the aircraft as MIGs. It continues to be unidentified," Philippine Defense secretary Voltaire Gazmin told reporters after the one-hour meeting. The meeting happened less than a week after the alleged harassment. Last March, two Chinese patrol vessels also allegedly harassed a Philippine oil exploration vessel at the Reed Bank. Asked on whether he and Liang talked about the March incident, Gazmin said: “No, that was not discussed." Pressed if Liang made a categorical denial of having flights in the area, Gazmin said: “No. What appeared in the papers is MIG. That was what he said: they do not have MIGs... We did not touch that. He said they have no MIGs." Gazmin said they also discussed the need to finalize the guidelines of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China. “This will be implemented as soon as the framework is finalized," said Gazmin of the declaration, which was signed by China and leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2002. “In general, things… should be settled amicably by opening the lines of communication, dialogues, and sitting down and talking to each other," he added. The oil- and mineral-rich Spratlys is being in part or in whole by China, Philippines, Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam. Candid discussion Monday’s meeting lasted for about an hour, with Gazmin describing it as a “confidence-building measure." “The atmosphere becomes friendly, no hard feelings when we sit down, every time we sit down and talk to each other. This is an open (discussion). This visit is a good accomplishment," Gazmin told reporters after the meeting. Gazmin said the meeting and the visit of Liang seeks to improve the atmosphere between the two countries, which are also engaged in a territorial dispute over the Scarborough Shoal off Zambales province. He said the discussion about the territorial dispute started candidly when he mentioned Liang’s advice to Thailand and Cambodia, made during a breakfast meeting last week during the ASEAN defense minister meeting in Indonesia, that border skirmishes should be resolved through discussions. “With that as a cue, I took the opportunity… I said we are facing the same issue now – the South China Sea. So it started very candidly by saying these things can be discussed," he said. Responsible behavior Defense undersecretary and concurrent spokesman Eduardo Batac said the two defense chiefs also recognized that “responsible behavior" by the claimant countries “would help keep the area stable while the parties work for the peaceful resolution of the issues." “Both defense ministers recognized that unilateral actions which could cause alarm should be avoided. It is also useful to continuously build confidence and cultivate trust between their respective defense ministers and ministries and their armed forces," Batac said. Batac also said that Gazmin and Liang expressed hopes that the implementing guidelines of the conduct “would soon be finalized and agreed upon." He also said the two agreed to “regularly hold dialogue to promote trust and build confidence between each other." A 2004 defense cooperation between the two countries calls for visits of defense and military officials. — KBK, GMA News