Philippine Blasts ‘Reckless and dangerous China acts’

Albert del Rosario the Foreign Affairs Secretary spoke issues concerning the global security before the scheduled United Nations General Assembly in New York. But huge chunk of Rosario’s speech was devoted to the maritime disputes in South China Sea.

Without mentioning directly China, Rosario said that Philippine is concerned with unilateral actions of one nation which threaten the stability and peace of the region.

“Arbitration is the best solution to the dispute.”

"Philippines believes the core instrument in the resolved of maritime disputes is the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Seas or UNCLOS. We have invited a state party to settle our maritime dispute peacefully through UNCLOS including its provisions on dispute settlement, specifically Arbitration under Annex 7 of the Convention," Rosario said.

"However, it has refused to join us and has continued to unilaterally embark on an expansionist claim that violates legitimate rights of the Philippines and other literal neighbors under UNCLOS such as their exclusive economic zones and continental shelves. Instead of peacefully resolving the maritime disputes within the framework of UNCLOS, the said state embarked on a series of dangerous, reckless and forceful activities in an attempt to impose unilateral change in the maritime status quo of the South China Sea."

Rosario enumerated several intrusions of China into Philippine territory including occupation of the Scarborough Shoal in 2012, a Philippine territory 126 nautical miles of Luzon.

This year, China imposed unilateral moratorium on fishing in some areas of South China Sea "which infringes on the legitimate sovereign rights of the Philippines and other coastal states to their EEZs"

Foreign affairs chief said that the foreign country started massive reclamations of land in Spratlys while ignoring triple action plan to stop all actions in South China Sea.