By Louise Watt, Associated Press,
Philippines Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano addresses staff of the foreign affairs department during the flag-raising ceremony Monday, May 22, 2017 in suburban Pasay city, south of Manila, Philippines. Cayetano has sought to downplay President Rodrigo Duterte’s pronouncement that Chinese President Xi Jinping told him China would go to war with Manila if it insists on drilling for oil in the disputed South China Sea, saying they were not threatening each other but talking about preventing conflict. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
A look at recent developments in the South China Sea, where China is pitted against smaller neighbors in multiple disputes over islands, coral reefs and lagoons in waters crucial for global commerce and rich in fish and potential oil and gas reserves:
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EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a weekly look at the latest developments in the South China Sea, the location of several territorial conflicts that have raised tensions in the region.
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DUTERTE: CHINA THREATENED WAR IF PHILIPPINES DRILLS FOR OIL
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, told him that China would go to war with Manila if it drills for oil in the South China Sea.
Duterte said he told Xi in talks last week in China, “My view is that I can drill the oil if there is some inside the bowels of the Earth because it is ours.”
He told a Philippine coast guard convention in the southern city of Davao on Friday that Xi responded: “Well, we are friends. We do not want to quarrel with you. We would want to maintain the present warm relationship. But if you force the issue, we will go to war.”
Relations between China and the Philippines have warmed considerably since Duterte came to power last year as he has courted Chinese investment and distanced his country from traditional ally the United States. He has declined to forcefully demand that Beijing comply with an international arbitration ruling last year that invalidated most of China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea on historical grounds. The case was brought to the tribunal in The Hague by the previous Philippine government. China has refused to recognize the ruling.
Philippine Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said Monday that the talks between Duterte and Xi had been about how to avoid conflict and there was no language or tone of disrespect.
China and the Philippines last week also held their inaugural twice-yearly South China Sea “bilateral consultation mechanism,” involving talks between foreign ministry and maritime affairs officials.
At the conclusion of their first meeting, the two sides said that they were committed to cooperating and addressing their disputes “without resorting to the threat or use of force,” according to China’s official Xinhua News Agency.
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CHINA MINES COMBUSTIBLE ICE FROM SEAFLOOR
China has successfully extracted a frozen fossil fuel known as “combustible ice” from the seafloor off its coastline.
The combustible ice — a frozen mixture of water and concentrated natural gas — was successfully mined by a drilling rig operating in the South China Sea on Thursday, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. Chinese Minister of Land and Resources Jiang Daming declared the event a breakthrough moment heralding a potential “global energy revolution.”
Technically known as methane hydrate, combustible ice can be lit on fire in its frozen state and is believed to comprise one of the world’s most abundant fossil fuels.
However, experts say that large-scale production remains many years away — and if not done properly could flood the atmosphere with climate-changing greenhouse gases.
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CHINA, ASEAN AGREE ON DRAFT OF CODE OF CONDUCT
China and the Association of Southeast Asia Nations reached agreement Thursday on a draft code of conduct in the South China Sea in the southern Chinese city of Guiyang.
The details weren’t disclosed, but it is a sign of progress 15 years after the parties committed to reaching a code of conduct.
Until recently, progress has been slow amid disputes over the body of water that China claims virtually in its entirety.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin was quoted in state media Friday as saying the agreement laid a “solid foundation” for further negotiations.
The Philippines welcomed the finalization of the draft of the framework. It contains elements that the parties agreed upon and will be presented to Chinese and ASEAN foreign ministers in August for consideration, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said.
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Associated Press writer Teresa Cerojano in Manila, Philippines, contributed to this report.
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