Chinese presence on reef concerns Ramos

Chinese presence on reef concerns Ramos

MANILA (AFP): Philippine President Fidel Ramos yesterday told China of his "extreme discomfort" over Beijing's occupation of a reef in the Spratly islands also claimed by Manila.

Ramos made the comments when meeting the outgoing Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines, Huang Guifang, and asked the envoy to relay his concerns to China's leadership.

"I hope you can transmit our sentiments to President Jiang Zemin and Prime Minister Li Peng," Ramos said.

Ramos said the structures put up by China on Mischief Reef, which lies within the Philippines' 320 kilometer exclusive economic zone, appear to be sophisticated military structures, rather than temporary structures for Chinese fishermen.

He stressed however during the meeting at the presidential palace here that Manila would continue to respect the 1992 Manila Declaration, which calls for a peaceful solution to be found among claimants to the Spratlys.

Huang assured the president Beijing was willing to discuss the issue and that it "will never constitute any threat to impair relations with the Philippines and with any other country."

He stressed that the structures were temporary and for the use of "Chinese fishermen" adding that the Chinese ships in the area were only doing "normal and routine" duties of supervising fishermen in the area.

However, AFP journalists who flew over the area earlier this month were able to confirm that each of the four modern octagonal structures flying China's red flag were equipped with satellite dishes.