Beijing/Washington: The Philippines is willing to share natural resources with Beijing in contested South China Sea areas even if it wins a legal challenge next week, Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay has said.
However, Beijing will not take a “‘single step back” on the issue, AFP quoted China’s state-run media.
Yasay reportedly said President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration hoped to quickly begin direct talks with China following Tuesday’s verdict, with the negotiations to cover jointly exploiting the sea’s natural gas reserves and fishing grounds within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
The United States, meantime, urged to respect the decision an international arbitration court is expected to hand down next week on territorial disputes in the South China Sea, reported Manila Bulletin.
“We urge both parties to comply with the ruling and urge all claimants to avoid provocative actions or statements,” Abraham Denmark, the senior Pentagon official responsible for East Asia, reportedly told a congressional hearing about the decision, already rejected in advance by Beijing.
Beijing asserts sovereignty over almost all of the strategically vital waters in the face of rival claims from Southeast Asian neighbors, and has rapidly turned reefs into artificial islands capable of hosting military planes.
It is currently holding a week of military drills around the Paracel Islands in the northern part of the sea, during which other ships have been prohibited from entering the waters, said the news portal.
The Virginia-based Navy Times reported this week that three US destroyers – the Spruance, Stethem and Momsen – have been patrolling near the Chinese-claimed Scarborough Shoal and Spratly Islands further south.
The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and supporting vessels are also in the South China Sea, the US Navy was quoted as saying by Manila Bulletin.
