China urged to exercise restraint over Spratlys

China urged to exercise restraint over Spratlys

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Malaysia has urged China to exercise restraint in the Spratly islands after a recent row with the Philippines but does not believe Beijing poses a security threat to the region, reports said yesterday.

"I think China knows the position of ASEAN in regard to the settlement of overlapping territorial claims," Malaysia's Defense Minister Syed Hamid Albar was quoted as saying in the New Straits Times daily.

"We have always held on to the view that resolution of such conflicts should be done through negotiations and discussions, rather than the use of aggressive means," he said.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) includes Spratly claimants Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, along with other members Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. China and Taiwan are the two other claimants.

Syed Hamid said: "The presence of any warships is not going to help in any dispute resolution."

The Star newspaper said Syed Hamid hoped "China can explain the incident and ensure that this will not recur as this has disturbed countries" bordering the reputedly oil-rich island chain.

The incursion of armed Chinese ships last month on Kota and Panata, two of eight Spratly islands on which the Philippines has garrisons, sparked fresh fears among Asian countries about Beijing's intentions.

Syed Hamid called on China to hold talks with the Philippines, saying Beijing had "given the understanding that they will employ legal means and hold discussions on any matters that involve territorial dispute."

The Chinese ships sailed out of the area Friday after completing their mission of conducting "marine survey measurements," a Chinese embassy statement said in Manila.

The statement reiterated that China believes it can do what it wants in the area because it has jurisdiction over the entire Spratlys, which it calls the Nansha islands.

All the Spratly claimants had previously affirmed an ASEAN call to seek peaceful means of settling the dispute, seen by analysts as a potential flashpoint for conflict in the fast- growing region.

Manila slammed China's latest moves as a violation of a bilateral code of conduct to avoid taking unilateral actions in the Spratlys.

The Philippines and China engaged in a tense war of nerves in 1995 after Manila discovered permanent Chinese structures on a reef it is claiming.