THERE IS growing tension in southeast Asia over what many in the Philippines see as China’s contentious claims to nearly all of the South China Sea, even waters close to the coasts of neighbouring countries.
Philippine president Benigno Aquino denied reports that he asked the US for spy planes to monitor the territorial dispute with China, saying his country had its own ships and aircraft to watch the disputed Scarborough Shoal.
The shoal stand-off began in April when Chinese vessels prevented the Philippine navy from arresting Chinese fishermen encroaching on what the Filipinos claim is a part of their territory.
China has territorial disputes with practically everyone in the region of the South China Sea, including the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan, and defence experts believe the next conflict in the region will probably relate to one of these disputes.
Recent months have seen a maritime stand-off between the Philippines and China in disputed sovereign seas near the Scarborough Shoal, in another part of the South China Sea, west of a former US navy base at Subic Bay.
In addition to the whole of the shoal, the Philippines also claims parts of the Spratlys archipelago. It says the shoal is well within its 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone.
Both countries have been pressing their respective claims on the area, with the inadequately equipped Philippines seeking the support of its defence ally, the US.
China has called on the Philippines to stop making provocative statements about the issue.
“It’s not clear to me what provocative statements the Philippines or Filipino officials have made. But we know that the other side has been saying a lot. So maybe they should read first what has been written on their end and, with all due respect, maybe they can balance that with reality,” Mr Aquino said.
The Philippine government is also angry at a move by China to put virtually the entire South China Sea under the jurisdiction of a newly created city, Sansha, which would administer all disputed territories across two million sq km of the South China Sea under Beijing’s southernmost province, Hainan.
