SOUTH CHINA SEA-CHINA/PHILIPPINES China says up to Philippines to heal rift over South China Sea case

Record ID: 1375032

  • Title: SOUTH CHINA SEA-CHINA/PHILIPPINES China says up to Philippines to heal rift over South China Sea case
  • Date: 11th November 2015
  • Summary: SOUTH CHINA SEA (FILE - MAY 11, 2015) (AGENCY POOL) VARIOUS AERIAL VIEWS OF SPRATLY ISLANDS
  • Embargoed: 27th November 2015 13:27
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA752MX24E2G0TRWH9028675GHI
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS MATERIAL WHICH WAS ORIGINALLY 4:3
    China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday (November 10) the Philippines' case against China at an arbitration tribunal over rival claims in the South China Sea had strained relations between Beijing and Manila, and it was up to the Philippines to improve ties, state media reported.
    "(The Philippines' arbitration case against China) is a knot that has impeded the improvement and development of Sino-Philippine relations. We do not want this knot to become tighter and tighter, so that it even becomes a dead knot. As for how to loosen or open it (the knot), it's up to the Philippines as the person who tied the knot is required to untie it. We hope the Philippines can make a wiser choice on this issue," Wang, who was in the Philippines for bilateral talks on Tuesday, told China's state broadcaster CCTV in Manila.
    Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, dismissing claims to parts of it from Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.
    For years, China has insisted that disputes with rival claimants to the South China Sea be handled bilaterally.
    In a legal setback for Beijing, an arbitration court in the Netherlands ruled late last month that it had jurisdiction to hear some territorial claims the Philippines had filed against China over disputed areas in the South China Sea. The Philippine government has welcomed the decision.
    China has boycotted the proceedings and rejects the court's authority in the case.
    Manila filed the case in 2013 to seek a ruling on its right to exploit the South China Sea waters in its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) as allowed under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
    Foreign affairs spokesman Charles Jose said on Tuesday after a meeting in Manila between Wang and his Philippine counterpart Albert del Rosario that the two countries agreed to resume foreign ministry consultations after a two-year break to explore areas where relations can move forward despite the territorial row.
    Chinese state television showed footage of a ground breaking ceremony for the building of two lighthouses in disputed waters of the South China Sea.
    China's Ministry of Transport hosted the ceremony for the construction of two multi-functional lighthouses on Huayang Reef and Chigua Reef on the disputed Spratly islands, state news agency Xinhua said, defying calls from the United States and the Philippines for a freeze on such activity. The reefs are known in English as Cuateron Reef and Johnson South Reef.
    Chinese President Xi Jinping is to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Manila from Nov. 17 to 19. China said on Tuesday that it is not aware of any plan to discuss the disputed South China Sea at the meeting.
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