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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider China opposes PH construction plans on Spratly Islands

China opposes PH construction plans on Spratly Islands

Published Jan 27, 2024 05:49 am

China has said it is opposing the Philippines' plan to construct any facilities on the Spratly Islands, which is part of the latter’s exclusive economic zone.

Quoting a news article from Chinese state media, Xinhua, the Chinese Embassy in Manila said China's military was against any form of construction on the Spratly Islands (locally known as Nansha Islands) as China supposedly has indisputable sovereignty over it and its adjacent waters.

"These efforts have undermined China's legitimate and lawful rights and interests," China defense spokesman Wu Qian said in a briefing last Thursday, Jan. 25.

According to the embassy,Wu said there are some difficulties in the Philippines-China relations, which he attributed to Manila's supposed collusion with outside powers, its failure to fulfill its promise and its violation of China's purported sovereignty.

China claims the whole South China Sea, based on its unilateral and historical nine-dash line. Meanwhile, the Philippines has rights over West Philippine Sea, a part of the bigger South China Sea, as stated by international law and affirmed by the arbitral ruling.

Wu then told the Philippines "to respect history, recognize the reality, and do not go further down the wrong path."

He also said China was willing to work together with the Philippines to resolve differences through bilateral dialogues and consultation. 

However, he warned that China would surely take countermeasures if the Philippines would take its own course, the embassy added.

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