In Manila Thursday, Blas Ople, Philippine foreign affairs
secretary, branded as "inaccurate and exaggerated" military claims
of new Chinese transgression in the South China Sea
territories.
The Philippine military earlier said China violated a
multilateral status quo agreement on the territories after they
discovered Chinese markers in unoccupied territories in Nansha.
Ople said the Department of National Defense (DND) and the Armed
Forces of the Philippines (AFP) belied its previous findings that
China erected new markers.
"The DND and the AFP prepared a report on the current situation
in the South China Sea and they have confirmed to me that no new
structures or installations have been built in the area that
belongs to the Philippines," Ople said at a press briefing.
Ople said it comes to a conclusion that reports on new Chinese
transgression in Nansha have been inaccurate and greatly
exaggerated.
Ople said the Philippines will adhere to the status quo
agreement, which calls on claimant states to exercise
self-restraint and refrain from building new structures in the
region.
"The status quo is being maintained as we work towards a lasting
solution to the situation. It remains intact and continues to be a
viable means to maintain trust and confidence in the South China
Sea," Ople said.
Last year, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China
signed in Cambodia a landmark agreement on avoiding conflict in the
South China Sea -- The Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the
South China Sea, which aims to provide guidelines for the behavior
of claimants of the region.
Philippine officials said the declaration is just one of the
many confidence building measures that would lead to a more binding
agreement in the future.
(Xinhua News Agency November 14, 2003)