Japan warned China on Tuesday that ties were “deteriorating markedly” over disputed East China Sea islets, and China’s envoy in Tokyo reiterated Beijing’s stance that the specks of land were its territory and called for talks to resolve the row.
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“We also reaffirm that we will contribute to regional peace, stability and prosperity”, Mr. Kishida said in a press conference at the Marco Polo Hotel right after meeting with his Philippine counterpart, Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto R. Yasay, Jr.
His visit to Hong Kong comes after a July 12 ruling by an worldwide court based in The Hague in favor of the Philippines in its petition against China’s “nine-dash line” claim on a large part of the sea – which Manila calls the West Philippine Sea.
Yasay said the Philippines shared the same sentiments on addressing the West Philippine Sea dispute with China.
JAPAN and the Philippines joined forces on Thursday to call on China to observe the rule of law in resolving maritime disputes after an global tribunal rejected Beijing’s claims to most of the South China Sea.
“Everyone must respect our maritime order and security in this area in the South China Sea and East China Sea and we urge them to respect the rule of law”. Japan is also leasing the Philippines four TD-90 surveillance aircraft.
The positive signs that China was moving past the ruling have been overtaken by a number of very disturbing trends which, regardless which path China ultimately takes, puts it on a collision course with Japan, the United States or perhaps a much broader group of states.
Yasay said the use of force, intimidation and provocations to assert one’s claim over a particular territory “is not the kind of actions that is mandated by the global law”.
Japan’s foreign minister summoned China’s ambassador this week to lodge a protest over a swarm of Chinese vessels spotted in waters near the islands.
Carpio said the Philippines will likely win the case anew.
In Hong Kong, a statement by Ramos indicated satisfaction with the meetings with the Chinese and an eagerness to hold additional talks.
Launched on August 10, the Gaofen 3 high-resolution Earth observation satellite is equipped with a radar system that is able to capture images from space with a resolution down to 1 meter, making intelligence gathering ever more precise. “We have to go back to Manila to find out the latest developments on the official side”, he said.
Ramos, 88, said he was not sure if he would be travelling on to Beijing, adding that it depends on instructions from Manila.
China claims most of the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year.
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“If Vietnam’s latest deployment is targeting China, that would be a bad mistake”.
