China urges Philippines to withdraw arbitration case over South China Sea

World Today

China urges Philippines to withdraw arbitration case over South China Sea

China is urging the Philippines to withdraw an international arbitration case over the South China Sea. Beijing said the decision violates a bilateral agreement between the two countries, and has called Manila’s actions illegal.

CCTV America Roee Ruttenberg reports.

“The door for the dialogue between China and the Philippines to resolve the South China Sea issue through dialogue and negotiation is always open,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei.

He added, “China remains committed to settling the relevant disputes with the Philippines through negotiation, on the basis of respecting historical facts and in accordance with international law.”

The new Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has not yet responded to Beijing’s call, but he would like to hold talks with China.

This week, American defense officials in the Pacific said one of their aircraft was on a routine patrol in what the U.S. calls international airspace over the East China Sea. They said that’s when two Chinese jets approached, one of them travelling at “an unsafe excessive rate of closure” on the American aircraft.

A spokesman for U.S. Pacific Command said this was likely a case of improper airmanship, noting that no other provocative maneuvers occurred.

The spokesman also said the U.S. Department of Defense would be addressing the issue with its Chinese counterpart through “appropriate diplomatic and military channels.”

China has repeatedly warned the U.S. against what it says are spying missions in the region. On Wednesday, Beijing demanded the activities to be stopped.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said “Close reconnaissance has seriously threatened the Chinese maritime and airspace security. China has the right to take defensive measures.”


Nong Hong on China refuses to participate in Philippines arbitration

For more on China refuses to participate in Philippines arbitration, CCTV America’s Mike Walter spoke to Nong Hong, the executive director of the Institute for China-America Studies.