CHINA VOWS $1.2-M MILITARY AID TO RP
BEIJING, March 3, 2005 (STAR) China has pledged military assistance to the Philippines for the first time, underscoring its rising influence in a region traditionally dominated by the United States.The Philippines also said yesterday that a dispute with China over the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea had been settled and the two sides would work together to exploit the region’s oil deposits.
"Disputes and conflicts are all over now," visiting Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo was quoted as saying by the Xinhua news agency.
"The South China Sea, instead of a regional flash point, has been transformed into an area of cooperation, peace and development," Romulo said.
China had promised 10 million yuan ($1.2 million or P66 million) worth of equipment, including engineering hardware, a source with knowledge of the deal said.
"We in the Philippines welcome China’s increasing role in regional and international affairs," Romulo said in a speech yesterday to mark the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Romulo ratified Tuesday a memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation signed last November, an embassy official said.
China, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam claim in whole or in part the oil-rich Spratly chain of islands and atolls in the South China Sea.
All the claimants, except Brunei, have troops stationed in the area and there have been deadly clashes in the past.
The most serious incident occurred in 1988, when Chinese and Vietnamese naval forces clashed at Johnson Reef, resulting in the deaths of 78 Vietnamese navy personnel.
Last year, China and the Philippines agreed to carry out a joint study of the mineral reserves in the area, sparking concern from the other claimants.
Vietnam warned that the joint study could violate a 2002 code of conduct signed by the claimants to refrain from actions that could disturb the volatile peace in the islands.
But Romulo indicated that matters had been settled, saying that his comment on disputes and conflicts "refers not only to China and the Philippines, but also others which claim the South China Sea territory."
In a statement issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in Manila, Romulo said he told Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao "that we are determined to resolve the issue of the South China Sea through peaceful dialogue. I added that we also hope to negotiate and conclude a code of conduct in the South China Sea."
He said Sino-Filipino ties were at an all-time high and stressed the priority of economic development in the region.
"If there are conflicts, whether in the South China Sea, the Korean peninsula or Taiwan Strait, it is important for the countries in the region to bind together to have meaningful dialogue in the diplomacy," he was quoted as saying. "If we can preserve peace in the region, therefore we can get on with economic development."
Romulo also met with Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxiang. During this meeting, Romulo said he "expressed our strong support for the efforts of China to address the nuclear issue on the Korean peninsula."
He and Zhaoxiang "also discussed a new area in our cooperation, that is, defense and military cooperation." Romulo heads to Thailand today before proceeding to Malaysia on Friday.
"China is the new big brother... but the US (United States) factor still remains," the source, who requested anonymity, told Reuters.
American troops pulled out of the Philippines, a former US colony, in 1992. But the two countries maintain close ties and US troops recently helped train Filipino forces in battling Muslim guerrillas in the south.
The US will remain "the dominant player" in the region, said Shi Yinhong, who teaches international relations at Beijing’s Renmin University.
In addition to military aid, China — until recently a recipient of foreign aid in the wake of natural disasters — had donated $250,000 to victims of typhoons that hit the Philippines last November and December, a Philippine Embassy newsletter said.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao told Romulo on Tuesday he hoped both countries would improve cooperation, Xinhua news agency reported.
China exported its Communist revolution to Asian neighbors, including the Philippines, in the 1960s, but bilateral relations have improved in recent years and Chinese President Hu Jintao will visit the Philippines in April.
China and the Philippines will hold a security dialogue in Manila as early as April, a diplomatic source said.
When President Arroyo visited Beijing last September, a landmark agreement was signed enabling national oil companies from both countries to conduct marine seismic tests near disputed islands in the South China Sea.
China is also poised to invest in the Philippine mining industry.
A Philippine delegation, led by the environment and trade secretaries, held a mining road show in Beijing in January and said it had won investment pledges in nickel and other mining projects worth $1.3 billion. The Philippines posted a trade surplus of $4.79 billion with China last year, with exports jumping 43.6 percent to $9.06 billion and imports surging 38 percent to $4.27 billion.
Thanks to Chinese technological support, the Philippines will attain rice and corn self-sufficiency by 2006 and 2010. – AFP, Pia Lee-Brago
Reported by: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2005
by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved