RP and China to hold talks on Spratlys

RP and China to hold talks on Spratlys

MANILA (AFP): Philippine and Chinese diplomats are to hold talks next month on the disputed Spratly islands, Chinese embassy spokesman Zhang Tiegen said here yesterday.

The meeting has been scheduled for Aug. 6 to 9 but did not say where the discussions will be held. The two sides last met in Beijing in March.

"The Spratlys problem is temporary and we are confident we can resolve it through friendly negotiations," Chinese ambassador to the Philippines Guan Dengming said.

China is the most powerful claimant to the Spratlys militarily while the Philippines has the weakest air force and navy to enforce its claims.

The other claimants to the South China Sea island chain are Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan. The Spratlys are believed to be rich in oil deposits and straddle vital international shipping lanes as well one of Asia's richest fishing grounds.

All except Brunei have stationed troops in the area, seen by many analysts as a potential flashpoint for armed conflict in the region.

The Philippines last February exposed the construction of permanent Chinese structures on Mischief Reef, claimed by Manila but guarded by at least one Chinese warship, sparking a diplomatic row with Beijing.

Tension escalated when the Philippines blasted Chinese markers erected on unguarded shoals around Mischief Reef, detained 62 Chinese fishermen poaching in the area and sponsored a media trip there.