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MANILA (Reuter): China has withdrawn seven of the nine ships it deployed around a coral reef claimed by the Philippines in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, military officials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.