Manila says China has cut back force in Spratlys
Manila says China has cut back force in Spratlys
MANILA (Reuter): China has withdrawn seven of the nine ships
it deployed around a coral reef claimed by the Philippines in the
disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, military
officials said yesterday.
But the situation remained a cause for concern because the two
Chinese vessels still in the area of Mischief Reef are both
warships, said the officials who asked not to be named.
A cluster of structures erected by the Chinese above the reef
was also still there, the officials said.
It was not clear whether the seven vessels which had left
would return. Aerial reconnaissance showed the ships had left by
Thursday morning and had not returned on Saturday afternoon, they
said.
The Philippines released photographs on Thursday showing
military-looking Chinese vessels and substantial structures built
on stilts above Mischief Reef, which is covered at high tide, in
what it said was a violation of international law.
Manila says the reef is part of Kalayaan (Freedomland), the
name it has given to a group of eight small islands in the
Spratlys which it claims.
China says it has built new facilities in the area, which it
calls the Meijijiao, intended to ensure the safety of Chinese
fishermen working in the area.
Long regarded as a potential Asian flashpoint, the Spratlys
are a cluster of islands, reefs and shoals believed to be rich in
oil and minerals.
They are claimed wholly or in part by China, the Philippines,
Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysian and Brunei.
Military sources said armed forces chief Gen. Arturo Enrile
had told President Fidel Ramos the Philippines would risk armed
conflict if it tried physically to assert its claim over Mischief
Reef.
Enrile cited the case of the Filipino fishing boat Princess
Seagull which sought shelter last Tuesday in a cove formed by the
reef, but was denied entry by what looked like a Chinese naval
vessel blocking the entrance.
As the Princess Seagull approached, men were seen running
about the deck of the Chinese ship as if to man "battle
stations," he said.
"We cannot force our way into the area unless we are prepared
for conflict," the sources quoted Enrile as writing in a report
to Ramos. "We cannot dislodge them at this time."
The Philippines, with few fighter planes and many aging ships,
has one of the most ill-equipped navies and air forces in Asia.