China's involvement in firefight with RP denied

China's involvement in firefight with RP denied

BEIJING (AFP): China yesterday denied allegations that a Chinese vessel had been involved in a clash this week with a Philippine navy gunboat in the South China Sea.

"As we have learned, this matter has nothing to do with the Chinese side," said a foreign ministry spokesman in a curt response to journalists' questions about the reported incident off the west coast of the Philippines on Monday.

A Philippine navy official said the gunboat had traded fire with one of two vessels flying the Chinese flag which intruded into Philippine waters off Capones Island, near the former U.S. naval base at Subic Bay northwest of Manila, and that the enemy boat had sustained "casualties."

The Philippine vessel suffered no casualties in the 90-minute fire-fight, said the official, who asked not to be named.

The incident occurred after the Philippine gunboat, which had been on patrol in the area, fired warning shorts at the two intruders.

The report made no mention of what type or size the two other boats were, or if they were civilian or military. But the Navy separately issued a report saying the intruders were suspected Chinese smugglers.

The military gave no details on the size of the Philippine vessel or why the information was being made public nearly four days after the incident.

One boat, bearing the numbers 04420 on its bow, responded by speeding towards the open sea, while the other attempted to ram the patrol boat and then opened fire, prompting the Philippine vessel to reply, the official said.

The second enemy ship then also sped away into the South China Sea, he said, adding that the patrol boat stopped its pursuit when it ran out of fuel.

The incident followed an increase in tension between China and the Philippines in the past year over rival claims to the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.

Manila last year alleged that China had built and occupied permanent military structures on the Philippine-claimed Mischief Reef.

The islands, believed to lie over rich oil deposits, are claimed in whole or in part by Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Last March, the Philippine Navy subsequently blew up unmanned boundary markers set up by the Chinese navy in nearby areas, but Monday's incident was the first serious incident involving the Philippines in the South China Sea since then.

A U.S. official warned here this week that Beijing may be ready to militarize the dispute over the archipelago, which is believed to sit atop rich oil deposits.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Winston Lord said the mainland Chinese were "clearly building up their capability for the Taiwan Strait, for the South China Sea."

Earlier in the week, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said here that China was "going to be a much more formidable military power than it is today" given the pace of its economic growth.