U.S. SENATE DEPLORED CHINA'S USE OF FORCE / PHL REDS: U.S. BEHIND SPRATLYS ROW
MANILA, JUNE 29, 2011 (MALAYA) BY VICTOR REYES - THE US Senate on Monday deplored China's "use of force" in the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea) and urged a peaceful resolution of territorial disputes there.
The resolution was adopted in response to recent incidents involving Chinese vessels and those of the Philippines and Vietnam, which also claim the Spratly Islands in the potentially resource-rich waters.
Aside from China, the Philippines, and Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei are also claiming the islands.
Democratic Sen. Jim Webb said Southeast Asian countries were worried about China's "pattern of intimidation." He said the US has a strategic interest in facilitating multilateral negotiations to settle the disputes.
Webb led a bipartisan group of four senators who introduced the resolution.
In Beijing Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said the Senate resolution "doesn't hold water" and that the senators who sponsored it should look for better ways to promote regional peace and stability.
Hong Lei told reporters that territorial disputes in the South China Sea should be resolved peacefully through talks between "directly concerned parties," a criticism of what Beijing considers meddling by Washington.
The Obama administration also supports multilateral negotiations but has been less strident in confronting China on the issue. The administration has still irked Beijing by saying that peaceful resolution of disputes in the sea, home to key shipping lanes, is in its national security interests.
The Philippines accuses Chinese vessels of making repeated intrusions into Philippine-claimed waters in recent months, while Vietnam says Chinese vessels have hindered its oil exploration surveys in an area 200 nautical miles off its central coast that it claims as its economic exclusive zone.
China claims it has sovereign rights over the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea), and has said all territorial disputes should be settled one-on-one with its Asian neighbors and that the United States should not be involved.
The Armed Forces said it was expected of China to declare that it has no intention of invading the Philippines.
"That is actually a statement that is expected of any country at this time because invasion is a thing of the past. As I said, no statesman in his right mind will want to invade another country. Imagine, you will feed 80 million people. I don't think that is in the agenda and it's not to anybody's interest to invade you," said AFP spokesman Commodore Miguel Jose Rodriguez (photo at right).
On Monday, President Aquino expressed reservation over China's statement that it will not invade the Philippines, and asked why China had to make such statement.
On Thursday last week, US Secretary of the State Hilary Clinton said Washington is committed to help defend the Philippine interest amid the rising tension in the West Philippine Sea.
The following day, Qu Xing, president of the China Institute of International Studies, said insinuations that China would invade the Philippines are "totally groundless." He said, "We have never sent troops to invade other countries and we have never used forces against other countries."
Rodriguez said despite China's statements, the military is not letting its guard down.
Rodriguez made the statements as the RP and US navies formally opened yesterday the annual Cooperation Afloat and Readiness Training (CARAT) east of Palawan or at the Sulu Sea. The Spratlys is situated west of Palawan.
Three US ships – guided missile destroyers USS Chung Hoon and USS Howard and the diving and salvage ship USNS Safeguard – and two Philippine Navy ships – the World War II vintage patrol ships BRP Rizal and Pangasinan – are taking part in the exercises which will last until July 8.
About 800 American servicemen and 457 Filipino sailors are joining the event which authorities said is aimed at improving the interoperability of the two navies in times of emergency.
An official of the Military Ordinariate of the Philippines asked government to heed the call of Chinese officials to limit the Spratly Islands row to claimant-countries.
Fr. Harley Flores, Military Ordinariate spokesman, said he believes that there is not enough reason to include "external" parties in the brewing dispute, such as the US. http://www.ucanews.com/diocesan-directory/html/dps-pr_military.php
He said his opinion is being shared by Military Bishop Leopoldo Tumulak.
Flores added that involving other parties such as the US would only escalate the tension and increase the possibility provoking clashes. – With Gerard Naval and AP
FROM ABS-CBN NEWS
PH communists claim US behind Spratlys row abs-cbnNEWS.com Posted at 06/29/2011 9:52 PM | Updated as of 06/29/2011 10:48 PM
MANILA, Philippines - The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) accused the United States on Wednesday of being behind the row between the Philippines, China, and other countries over ownership of the Spratly Islands.
The CPP, in a statement on the first year in power of President Benigno Aquino III, said Washington wrote a "script to whip up diplomatic and military tensions in the South China Sea."
"Aquino's role in the current brouhaha over the Spratlys was assigned to him when he boarded the USS Carl Vinson in May," the underground group said.
It added that the US aims to to deploy its reconnaissance and naval hardware in the South China Sea "in the guise of 'supporting the defense the Philippines' and 'modernizing' the AFP as a foil against what it perceives as the growing strategic threat posed by China to US global hegemony."
The CPP also lashed at the the Visiting Forces Agreement, the Mutual Defense Treaty and other treaties between the US and the Philippines.
"It continues to allow the permanent stationing of the 700-strong Joint US Special Operations Task Force-Philippines in Camp Navarro in Zamboanga City which serves as its base for its interventionist military operations in the country. It has allowed one nuclear-powered US carrier ship after another to enter Philippine waters and unload thousands of American servicemen," the CPP said.
The communist movement also claimed that the Aquino government's poverty alleviation program is part of the a counter-insurgency plan designed by thr Palace's American military advisers under the US State Department's Counter-insurgency Guide of 2009.
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