Philippines seeks summit on sea row; China cool

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton holding her umbrella receives a bouquet of flowers upon arrival in Manila Tuesday. AP

MANILA, Philippines—Beijing on Tuesday rejected the Philippines’ calls for talks at regional meetings this week with China and five other countries embroiled in one of Asia’s most volatile territorial disputes.

Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said the Philippines also wants the United Nations to arbitrate the overlapping claims to a string of potentially oil-rich islands in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) that straddle one of the world’s busiest sea lanes. China wants individual negotiations to settle the disputes, which many fear could be Asia’s next flash point for conflict.

In Beijing, Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin said at a news briefing that China hoped the issue would not be discussed at the two-day East Asian Summit of 18 Asian-Pacific nations in Bali, Indonesia.

“The South China Sea issue has nothing to do with the East Asian Summit because the East Asian Summit is a forum for discussing economic cooperation and development,” Liu said.

Liu said China’s position on the West Philippine Sea issue “is clear and consistent: China believes that the dispute should be resolved through peaceful consultation through parties directly concerned.”

The United States, which is also taking part in the regional meetings in Bali, has angered China by saying that it too has a stake in the security and unhampered international commerce in the West Philippine Sea.

“The intervention of outside forces is not helpful for the settlement of the issue,” Liu said. “On the contrary, it will only complicate the issue and sabotage peace, stability and development in the region.”

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is expected to discuss the territorial row with del Rosario and Philippine Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin. She arrived in Manila on Tuesday, holding an umbrella at the airport to ward off the rain, for an overnight visit that is to include a meeting with President Benigno Aquino III.

Clinton will join a ceremony Wednesday aboard the USS Fitzgerald marking the 60th anniversary of the US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty. The event will be highlighted by the signing of a declaration affirming America’s commitments under the pact, the US Embassy said.

The East Asian Summit follows the regional meeting of leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Asean includes the Philippines and Vietnam, which have accused Chinese vessels in recent months of trying to sabotage their oil explorations in the disputed waters.

In Manila, del Rosario asked Asean to host a summit that would discuss a Manila proposal to segregate disputed West Philippine Sea regions so coastal nations can freely make use of non-disputed areas without fear of skirmishes. China has opposed the plan.

China’s claim to virtually the entire West Philippine Sea, submitted to the United Nations in 2009, is “the core of the problem,” del Rosario said. He said the claim should be scrutinized based on the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which set out rules on how countries can use the world’s oceans and its resources.

Beijing has been asserting its territorial claims more aggressively as its military and economic muscle have grown. Three island groups are being disputed, including the Spratlys — a chain of up to 190 islands, reefs, coral outcrops and banks believed to be sitting atop large deposits of oil and natural gas.