China occupying Philippine reef in Spratlys: Ramos
China occupying Philippine reef in Spratlys: Ramos
MANILA (AFP): President Fidel Ramos said yesterday that China has deployed warships and built structures on a coral reef claimed by the Philippines in the disputed Spratly islands. He said Manila would soon lodge a diplomatic protest with Beijing.
"The Department of National Defense has verified that vessels from the People's Republic of China are presently in the vicinity of Panganiban reef in the Kalayaan Island Group," Ramos said, referring to the Spratly islands claimed by the Philippines.
"Certain structures have also been built on Panganiban Reef and we have pictures of this," he said in his weekly news conference.
He said reconnaissance missions over the area reported the presence of Chinese warships as well as "steel-supported structures" on the coral reef.
Ramos said Manila "views these actions taken by elements identified with the People's Republic of China as inconsistent with international law and the spirit and intent of the 1992 Manila ASEAN declaration on the South China Sea."
Ramos said the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has already submitted a "very firm aide memoire" to the Chinese ambassador in Manila before the filing of a formal protest.
Chinese embassy spokesmen were not immediately available for comment, but Beijing has earlier denied the reports.
The Manila declaration was signed by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as well as China and other Spratlys claimants adhering to joint development in the area and peaceful dialogue to solve the dispute.
Ramos said the Philippines also "has reason to believe" claims by a group of Filipino fishermen, who said they were detained by Chinese troops on a shoal in the area for one week last month.
The Spratlys, a string of small islands in the South China Sea, are being claimed in whole or in part by ASEAN members Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines, as well as by China, Vietnam and Taiwan. ASEAN also groups Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore.
All claimants but Brunei have stationed troops on the islands -- believed to be sitting atop vast deposits of oil and natural gas -- making it a potential flashpoint for regional conflict.
China routed the Vietnamese navy in a brief naval battle in the Spratlys in the late 1970s.
The Philippines, which has the weakest navy and air force among all the claimants, insists that the conflicting claims be solved peacefully.