China urged to exercise restraint over Spratlys<\/p>\n
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Malaysia has urged China to exercise
\nrestraint in the Spratly islands after a recent row with the
\nPhilippines but does not believe Beijing poses a security threat
\nto the region, reports said yesterday.<\/p>\n
\"I think China knows the position of ASEAN in regard to the
\nsettlement of overlapping territorial claims,\" Malaysia's Defense
\nMinister Syed Hamid Albar was quoted as saying in the New Straits
\nTimes daily.<\/p>\n
\"We have always held on to the view that resolution of such
\nconflicts should be done through negotiations and discussions,
\nrather than the use of aggressive means,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) includes
\nSpratly claimants Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam,
\nalong with other members Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. China
\nand Taiwan are the two other claimants.<\/p>\n
Syed Hamid said: \"The presence of any warships is not going to
\nhelp in any dispute resolution.\"<\/p>\n
The Star newspaper said Syed Hamid hoped \"China can explain
\nthe incident and ensure that this will not recur as this has
\ndisturbed countries\" bordering the reputedly oil-rich island
\nchain.<\/p>\n
The incursion of armed Chinese ships last month on Kota and
\nPanata, two of eight Spratly islands on which the Philippines has
\ngarrisons, sparked fresh fears among Asian countries about
\nBeijing's intentions.<\/p>\n
Syed Hamid called on China to hold talks with the Philippines,
\nsaying Beijing had \"given the understanding that they will employ
\nlegal means and hold discussions on any matters that involve
\nterritorial dispute.\"<\/p>\n
The Chinese ships sailed out of the area Friday after
\ncompleting their mission of conducting \"marine survey
\nmeasurements,\" a Chinese embassy statement said in Manila.<\/p>\n
The statement reiterated that China believes it can do what it
\nwants in the area because it has jurisdiction over the entire
\nSpratlys, which it calls the Nansha islands.<\/p>\n
All the Spratly claimants had previously affirmed an ASEAN
\ncall to seek peaceful means of settling the dispute, seen by
\nanalysts as a potential flashpoint for conflict in the fast-
\ngrowing region.<\/p>\n
Manila slammed China's latest moves as a violation of a
\nbilateral code of conduct to avoid taking unilateral actions in
\nthe Spratlys.<\/p>\n
The Philippines and China engaged in a tense war of nerves in
\n1995 after Manila discovered permanent Chinese structures on a
\nreef it is claiming.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/china-urged-to-exercise-restraint-over-spratlys-1447893297",
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