China opposes United Nations' role in settling Spratlys dispute

China opposes United Nations' role in settling Spratlys dispute

MANILA (AP): China wants to peacefully settle a dispute with the Philippines over a reef in the Spratly Islands claimed by both countries, but it is against any United Nations role in solving the problem, a Chinese official said on Sunday.

Philippine officials and a Chinese delegation began meetings on Sunday to resolve a dispute over the construction of Chinese structures on Mischief Reef in the South China Sea's Spratly Islands, which has strained diplomatic ties between the two nations.

Last week, President Joseph Estrada discussed the Spratlys dispute in a meeting with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in New York. Estrada said the UN chief said he would help find ways of resolving the conflict peacefully.

Asked if China will allow the UN to play a role, Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the two countries can reach a settlement by themselves.

"We have long believed that our two countries shall settle this question and problem through friendly consultations," Wang told reporters. "I'm confident that our two countries have the capability to settle this problem."

Although China prefers resolving the problem bilaterally, Wang said they are open to a settlement based on international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Seas, which sets certain marine territorial boundaries for nations.

The Philippines has been seeking international support to halt what it says is China's expansion in the Spratlys archipelago, an area that straddles one of the world's busiest sea lanes.

Wang met Philippine Foreign Secretary Domingo Siazon at a hotel in Manila on Sunday and will head a Chinese delegation that will meet its Philippine counterparts on Monday and Tuesday.

Philippine Foreign Undersecretary Lauro Baja said Manila would demand that China dismantle the structures on Mischief Reef in the South China Sea. But he conceded it was unlikely that China would agree.

Wang said China will not allow the dispute to harm diplomatic relations it established with the Philippines in 1975. "China will continue to pursue a friendly policy for the Philippines and, whatever happens, this policy will remain unchanged," Wang said.

The talks are the first since the dispute erupted in 1995 after China began building the structures on Mischief Reef, which lies about 215 kilometers west of the Philippines.

Tensions escalated late last year after China began enlarging the reef structures. The Chinese say they are simply storm shelters for fishermen, but Philippine officials said they could be used militarily.

In the Manila meeting, China and the Philippines are expected to discuss a Chinese proposal to jointly use the structures on Mischief Reef. Philippine officials have said they would agree to that only if management authority over the structures is ceded to Manila.

The Spratlys are believed to be rich in oil and minerals, but the conflicting claims have prevented exploration. Aside from China and the Philippines, the area is also being contested by Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam.