Press Release
March 16, 2009

Chiz cautions China: Let good neighborliness, not bullying prevail

Senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero on Monday urged China to exercise caution in responding to the passage of the Baselines Law by the Philippines, saying that "good neighborliness, not bullying" should prevail.

"Let this issue be resolved through legal and diplomatic channels. China should not engage in moves that might be construed as bullying tactics," he said in a statement.

Escudero was referring to reports that Beijing has dispatched its most modern warship to the South China Sea to conduct patrols in waters off the contested Spratlys island chain.

Beijing has said that the Baselines Law is "illegal and invalid" even as it reasserted its ownership of the group of reefs, islets, and islands which are said to be rich in oil and other mineral resources.

Apart from China and the Philippines, the Spratlys is also claimed in full and in part by Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei.

"The Philippines made a legal move and the appropriate action from China should have also been a legal one, i.e., a diplomatic protest, which they did. It would benefit us all if we resolved this issue within the arena of diplomacy," said Escudero.

In the past, the dispute over the Spratly has triggered violent clashes between Chinese and Vietnamese forces stationed in the area as well as verbal skirmishes between China and the Philippines in 1992 over the Chinese occupation of Mischief reef.

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