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.