QUEZON City, Philippines (Eagle News) – China’s alleged reclamation projects in the disputed territories inside the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone will be part of the bilateral talks between China and the Philippines in May.
According to Acting Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, this is part of the agreement between the two countries to peacefully resolve the territorial dispute.
“We made it perfectly clear that we want to raise issues of concern to our side,” Manalo said.
Acting Secretary Manalo also said that they will look into the intentions of China with regard to the artificial islands and the installations that could be used for military purposes.
“I think this will simply be one of the issues that we will ask China: ‘What is the intention of building this?” he said
“I can’t divulge exactly how we’ll say it, but we will be pointing out that these are constructions taking place on islands within our EEZ,” Manalo added.
The Philippines and Beijing will hold its first meeting of the bilateral mechanism set up to properly handle the South China Sea dispute in May this year.
The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), part of Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the alleged Chinese work on Fiery Cross, Subi and Mischief Reefs in the Spratly Islands included naval, air, radar and defensive facilities.
The think tank cited satellite images taken this month, which its director, Greg Poling, said showed new radar antennae on Fiery Cross and Subi.
China has denied United States charges that it is militarizing the South China Sea, although Premier Li Keqiang had said defense equipment had been placed on islands in the disputed waterway to maintain “freedom of navigation.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said last Tuesday she was unaware of the details of the think tank’s report, but added the Spratly Islands were China’s inherent territory.
In recent years, the United States has conducted a series of what it calls freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea, raising tensions with Beijing. (with a Reuters report)