Philippines ready to talk to China after ruling on sea claim

The Tuesday’s editorial went online a week ahead of a ruling by the International Court of Arbitration in The Hague on the South China Sea dispute between China and the Philippines.

Hong Lei, spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at Monday’s news briefing that the comments proved that the court is a mouthpiece. “It is definitely also responding to the recent American warships patrolling in the South China Sea”, Zhu was quoted as saying by TIME.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, The Netherlands, is set to announce its ruling on the case on July 12.

Dr. John Short, political analyst and Professor of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, told Radio Sputnik that the Philippines may be able to better serve its territorial interests in the South China Sea by negotiating with China.

The Philippines brought its long-simmering disputes with China in the South China Sea to global arbitration in January 2013 after Beijing took control of disputed Scarborough Shoal following a standoff.

Japan’s deputy chief cabinet secretary Koichi Hagiuda denied the accusation today, telling reporters that Tokyo’s Self-Defence Forces had scrambled F15 jets to monitor Chinese aircraft.

The area where China is conducting drills is near, but not in the center of, the high-traffic shipping lanes that carry some $5 trillion a year in trade through the area.

“The Japanese plane’s provocative actions caused an accident in the air, endangering the safety of personnel on both sides, and destroying the peace and stability in the region”, China’s Defence Ministry said, adding the Chinese aircraft “responded resolutely”.

A formation of the Nanhai Fleet of China’s Navy on Saturday finished a three-day patrol of the Nansha islands in the South China Sea.

China’s response would “fully depend” on the Philippines, the China Daily said, citing unidentified sources.

Manila has sought to dial down tensions with its powerful neighbor ahead of the decision but resisted pressure to ignore the ruling.

“Nobody wants a conflict, nobody wants to resolve our conflict in a violent manner, nobody wants war”, Philippines Foreign Minister Perfecto Yasay told ANC television.

The area is also partly being claimed by Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam, and Taiwan.

Authorities in Beijing have repeatedly questioned the legality of the ruling by the tribunal, which is widely believed will rule in favor of the Philippines next Tuesday and may deprive China of any legal basis for its claims over nearly the entire South China Sea, or the so-called Nine Dash Line.