NAN-F-37
Dispute
Beijing, March 23, 2017 (dpa/NAN) China’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday said China and the Philippines do not and would not have a dispute over Benham Rise.
The ministry said this while referring to a vast area the UN has declared to be part of the Philippines’ continental shelf.
Earlier, the Philippine defence minister had said he believed that China had conducted survey missions deep into the Southeast Asian nation’s 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone in the Benham Rise, off Philippines’ east coast.
China has already dismissed those concerns, saying its ships were simply passing through the waters there.
In a further statement carried on its website, the Chinese ministry said the whole issue had been hyped up
“China fully respects the Philippines’ maritime area rights over the Benham Rise.
“On this point, there has not been, is not at the moment and will not be a dispute between China and the Philippines,” the ministry said.
China and the Philippines had worked very hard over the past year to improve relations, and China set great store on this.
China would continue to dedicate itself to “appropriately handling” maritime issues, the ministry said.
China was involved in a dispute with the Philippines over ownership of islands in the South China Sea, even as both countries have dramatically improved relations since Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte took office in 2016.
Duterte said earlier in the day that he trusted that China would not build anything on one of the disputed areas, Scarborough Shoal, because he was given its “word of honour”.
He said that Beijing would not want to jeopardise a new friendship.
China claims most of the energy-rich South China Sea through which about 5 trillion dollars in ship-borne trade passes every year.
Neighbours Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims. (dpa/NAN)
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Edited by Celine-Damilola Oyewole/Grace Yussuf