The Philippines and China agreed on Friday to
set aside their diplomatic protests in order to ease tensions over a naval
standoff at the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the West Philippine Sea (South
China Sea).
China
also pulled back one of three surveillance ships at the Scarborough Shoal off
the northwestern Philippines, Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario
told reporters. But the impasse remained with two other Chinese ships facing
off a Philippine Coast Guard vessel.
Three
of eight Chinese fishing boats at the center of the standoff may have left the
shoal on Friday.
Setting
aside the protests, however, did not mean withdrawing them. Del Rosario said
the protests would still be coming, but the two sides would not give primary
attention to them, as both wanted to break the standoff by diplomatic means.
Del
Rosario, who met with Chinese Ambassador Ma Keqing on Friday morning, said the
Philippines and China agreed to maintain the “status quo” and not take any
further provocative action at the shoal as they sought to negotiate a
resolution.
"I
think that we were able to succeed in moving forward by a few steps but there
are other matters that remain outstanding,” Del Rosario said, adding that the
talks in Manila would continue.
"We
both want this resolved as soon as possible. We’ve agreed that both sides will
not do anything to escalate the situation there any further,” he said.
Unresolved issues
Among
the unresolved matters was whether the Chinese fishermen would be arrested,
which, Del Rosario said, was not discussed during his meeting with Ma.
The
Philippines accused the fishermen of being there illegally, saying the area was
Philippine territory because it was within the country’s 200-nautical-mile
exclusive economic zone, as recognised by international law.
But
China, insisting that the shoal was Chinese territory, sent three civilian
maritime surveillance ships to prevent the Philippine Navy’s largest vessel,
the BRP Gregorio del Pilar, from arresting the Chinese fishermen.
The
Philippines withdrew its warship on Thursday, replacing it with a Coast Guard
search-and-rescue vessel in what was widely seen as an effort to lower tensions
by taking away the immediate threat of military force.
Del
Rosario said Ma presented her own proposal to end the standoff, which began on
Sunday when Chinese ships prevented the Philippine Navy from detaining Chinese
fishermen who were allegedly caught poaching.
Both
sides claim the uninhabited, horseshoe-shaped shoal, which lies about 200
kilometers (120 miles) from Zambales province, the nearest Philippine coast.
The
four-day-old standoff has reignited concern for potential conflict in the West
Philippine Sea, which China calls South China Sea, one of the world’s busiest
lanes that is also home to a myriad of competing territorial claims, most
notably the Spratly Islands south of the shoal.
The
disputes have settled into an uneasy standoff since the last major clash, which
involved China and Vietnam and killed more than 70 Vietnamese sailors in 1988.
The
barren islands, reefs and coral outcrops are claimed by China, the Philippines,
Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan. They are rich fishing grounds and are
believed to contain oil and gas reserves.
Apart
from the Philippines, Vietnam has recently figured in territorial spats with
China, while the United States has angered Beijing when it declared it was in
its national interest to ensure the area remained stable.
Department
of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Raul Hernandez told reporters on Friday that
the Chinese Embassy had informed the Philippines that one of the three Chinese
vessels had also been withdrawn.
Del
Rosario confirmed the withdrawal of the Chinese vessel. The vessel was needed
elsewhere, Del Rosario said, and it was replaced by a third Chinese vessel that
arrived at the shoal on Thursday.
The departure
of the Chinese vessel, he said, could be seen as China’s own step to ease
tensions at the shoal.
"The
new vessel that entered the area is actually a fisheries vessel, which I
understand would look into the alleged violations of the Chinese fishing boats,”
Del Rosario said.
He said
there were just three vessels at the shoal, the two Chinese vessels and the
Philippine Coast Guard’s search-and-rescue vessel.
The
Philippine Department of National Defence (DND) saw the departure of the
Chinese vessel as “positive sign” that China wanted to resolve the impasse
peacefully.
Welcome move
DND
spokesperson Peter Paul Galvez told reporters that the Chinese vessel’s departure
was a welcome move by Beijing, but he stopped short of saying the standoff was
ending.
"They
are still observing each other,” Galvez said.
There
were reports last night that three of eight Chinese fishing boats at the center
of the standoff had left Scarborough Shoal.
Del
Rosario told reporters seeking confirmation of the reports that he believed
three of the fishing boats were able to leave, as “no one is preventing anyone
from leaving [or] entering.”
From
the point of view of the defense department, the Philippines did not blink when
the BRP Gregorio del Pilar left Scarborough Shoal on Thursday.
Reports
on Thursday said the Navy cutter left the shoal to restock and refuel. The
vessel was believed heading toward Poro Point, in La Union province.
Galvez
said the Philippine decision to remove the BRP Gregorio del Pilar followed its
assessment that the impasse could be resolved through diplomacy.
He
noted that the Chinese decision to withdraw one of its vessels came at the same
time as the departure from the shoal of the BRP Gregorio del Pilar.
"We
can now proceed with effecting whatever maritime rules and laws we have,”
Galvez said.
No US help
At no
point since Sunday did the Philippines consider seeking help from the United
States. Del Rosario said US intervention “was never part of the discussion.” At
the DND, Galvez said the impasse was not a situation that called for US
intervention. He said he believed the Philippines and China could settle the
matter by themselves. “We are very hopeful this situation will be resolved very
soon,” he said.
Tina G.
Santos
Philippine
Daily Inquirer
With
reports from DJ Yap, AP and AFP
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