South China Sea dispute: Philippines rejects China's offer of bilateral talks
- by Carmen Reese
- in Science
- — Jul 20, 2016
China is closing off a part of the South China Sea for military exercises this week, the government said Monday, days after an worldwide tribunal ruled against Beijing's claim to ownership of virtually the entire strategic waterway.
THE Philippines said Tuesday direct talks with China over their maritime dispute were unlikely to start anytime soon due to Beijing's refusal to accept an worldwide tribunal ruling on the South China Sea.
Issuing a statement on Monday, the NSN said it "has noted the verdict of the worldwide tribunal constituted under the United Nations Convention on Law of Sea (UNCLOS) in the matter pertaining to dispute over the islands of the South China Sea".
Yasay said Wang had proposed bilateral talks but only on issues "outside, or [in] disregard of, the arbitral ruling", which he declined because it was not in the Philippines' national interests.
"The Nansha Islands are China's inherent territory, and our necessary construction on the islands is reasonable, justified and lawful".
Meanwhile, President of Philippines rejected this offer and said,"Who knows how long a China constructed Sea will last, not willing to take that gamble".
"We will never stop our construction on the Nansha Islands halfway", Xinhua, in a separate report, quoted Wu as saying, using the Chinese name for the Spratly chain.
A Chinese H-6K bomber patrols the islands and reefs in the South China Sea.
China seized the shoal in 2012 after a brief stand-off with the Philippine navy.
China's military drills and patrols in response to The Hague ruling were much anticipated by experts and analysts, but the actions have sparked tensions and raised fears over Beijing's assertiveness in expanding its military operations.
"We are not yet engaged in bilateral talks with anyone", he said. "But China consistently opposes so-called military freedom of navigation, which brings with it a military threat and which challenges and disrespects the global law of the sea", Sun said.
Admiral Wu Shengli made his comments in a meeting with the United States's top naval officer after another senior Chinese admiral made a thinly veiled warning to Washington that its patrols in the disputed waters would end in "disaster".
China's coast guard had been preventing Filipino boats from fishing around the hotly contested Scarborough Shoal, fishermen and officials said on Friday.
