Malacañang welcomes latest China statement on Spratlys

Malacañang welcomed the Chinese foreign ministry’s statement that Beijing will not use force to settle the dispute over the Spratly islands in the South China Sea. “It’s good that we heard them say that they are not going to resort to the use of force. It’s something that we certainly welcome," presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in a press briefing Wednesday. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China hopes other claimant countries will do more to promote peace and stability in the region. China vowed not to use force in settling the territorial claims and called for more dialogues. Tensions between China and other claimants to the South China Sea escalated in the past weeks over the alleged intrusions of Chinese vessels in the disputed area. The Philippines and Vietnam, which consider the Spratlys part of their territories, have expressed alarm over China’s actions. Asked about the plan of US Senator Jim Webb Jr. to file a bill denouncing China’s behavior in the South China Sea, Lacierda said the Palace will support anything that will lessen the tension and resolve the issue peacefully. “Anything that will downplay any inflammatory statements is certainly welcome for us. We have always maintained that there should be a peaceful resolution of the conflict in the West Philippines Sea," he said. Webb, who heads the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on East Asia, urged the US Congress to condemn China’s recent behavior, saying that Washington has to take action on the South China Sea issue. Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia also have territorial claims over the Spratlys, which are in the biologically-diverse Coral Triangle and sit atop potentially massive deposits of oil and gas. — ELR/VS/HS, GMA News