The Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) yesterday said that
it had yet to receive “complete information” on China’s plan to extend a
tourist route to the disputed Spratly Islands in the West Philippines Sea
(South China Sea), but that it remained firm in its commitment to protect the
country’s sovereign rights in the area.
“What is important is the parties
concerned should always recognise the sovereignty and sovereign rights of
states in that part of the area, especially for the Philippines the Kalayaan
Island Group,” Raul Hernandez, DFA spokesperson, said when asked in an
interview about the protocol regarding states’ plans in contested areas.
Chinese state media reported on
Saturday that Sanya City, a tourist destination in the southern Chinese
province of Hainan, is planning to include the island chains of Zhongsha
(Macclesfield Bank) and Nansha (Spratlys) in a cruise route under a 10-year
tourism development plan.
China is claiming almost all of
the Spratlys, parts of which are claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia,
Brunei and Taiwan.
Hernandez, however, said that the
DFA had not yet gotten hold of the exact details of the plan and would opt to
get more information before making further comments.
When pressed about a certain
group’s worries on the Chinese plan and calls for the government to step in,
Hernandez said that the DFA was always mindful of their mandate to “promote and
protect what is ours.”
He added that except for the
protest actions lodged by the country on the contested area a month ago, the
DFA had yet to receive reports of activities that would aggravate the situation
in the area.
“We want to make sure that all
stakeholders respect the Declaration of the Conduct of parties in the South
China Sea or the West Philippine Sea and refrain from doing anything that would
exacerbate the situation in the area,” he said.
Earlier this year, the
Philippines and Vietnam lodged protests over China ‘s establishment of Sansha
City on Woody Island, in the Paracels, to administer the island chain and the
Spratlys.
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