Sunday Times 2
China media warn Philippines of ‘counterstrike’in disputed Sea
View(s):BEIJING, June 29 (AFP) -Chinese state-media accused the Philippines of using the ASEAN group of nations as an “accomplice” in the violation of its sovereignty claims in the South China Sea on Saturday, and warned of a potential “counterstrike”.
New recruits of the Chinese Navy march with their guns during the parade marking the end of their first training session in Shandong province (Reuters)
The editorial in the overseas edition of the People’s Daily, the mouthpiece of China’s ruling Communist Party, came as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was due to meet in Brunei, with disputes in the Sea expected to dominate discussions.
The Philippines, which has sought closer ties with Washington amid territorial disputes with Beijing, “calls on the United States as ‘patron’” and uses ASEAN as an “accomplice,” the editorial said.
It added that the Philippines was guilty of “seven sins,” including the “illegal occupation” of parts of the Spratly Islands, strengthening control over disputed coral reefs, inviting foreign companies to develop oil and gas resources in disputed waters, and promoting the “internationalisation” of the Sea.
“If the Philippines continues to provoke China… a counterstrike will be hard to avoid,” the editorial said.
Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez reacted with alarm on Saturday, saying in a statement that “there is no place in the relations of civilised nations to use such provocative language”.
He singled out the use of the term “counterstrike”, saying China had an obligation to pursue the peaceful resolution of disputes.
“We call on China to be a responsible member in the community of nations,” he added.
Hernandez called for the dispute to be solved through the United Nations, citing the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, a 1982 treaty signed by both countries.
Members of the ASEAN group hope to reach a legally binding code of conduct aimed at easing tensions over disputed areas in the Sea, which is claimed almost in its entirety by Beijing, leading to long-running disputes with several neighbouring countries including the Philippines.
| Staged military exercise in China’s Xinjiang
URUMQI, China, June 29, (AFP) -China staged a large military exercise in the ethnically-divided Xinjiang region on Saturday, an AFP reporter said, where clashes this week killed at least 35 people. Tanks, army vehicles, and armed personnel blocked access to streets in Xinjiang’s capital Urumqi, where army units carried out an exercise, an AFP reporter present at the scene said. Large sections of the city’s centre were shut down for the exercise, she said. The exercises come ahead of the fourth anniversary on July 5 of riots, between members of China’s mostly Muslim Uighur ethnic minority and the Han majority group, which left around 200 dead. |
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