The Philippines told China it plans to take their Spratly Islands dispute to a UN tribunal in trying to resolve their conflicting claims peacefully, the Philippine foreign secretary said Monday. At their meeting in Beijing last week, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi did not respond on China's thoughts about the Philippine plan, Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said. “The Chinese position has not changed,” del Rosario told a news conference. “Our position also has not changed. Our claims are based on international law.” Both sides did agree the disputes should not damage overall relations, del Rosario said. President Benigno Aquino III plans to visit China in late August or early September. The nations are trying to cool tensions after the Philippines alleged Chinese forces repeatedly intruded into Manila-claimed Spratly areas since February. The chain of barren, largely uninhabited islands, reefs and banks in the South China Sea are claimed entirety or partly by China, Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Brunei. They are believed to be rich in oil and natural gas and straddle a busy international sea lane. The Spratlys are regarded as a potential flashpoint for armed conflict. In one of the most serious incidents, Philippine officials said a Chinese naval vessel allegedly fired to scare away Filipino fishermen from Jackson Atoll, near the Spratlys. Meanwhile in Beijing, China's top military officer said Monday the timing of US naval exercises in the South China Sea was “inappropriate,” after talks with his US counterpart aimed at cooling the territorial dispute. General Chen Bingde urged the US to be “more modest and prudent in words and deeds”, amid growing tensions over China's claims in the strategic and potentially resource-rich region, and also criticized Washington over its military spending. He accused the US of “placing too much pressure on taxpayers” in the wake of the economic crisis, in unusually provocative remarks before a foreign visitor. “On various occasions, the US side has expressed that it does not have the intention to intervene in the disputes in the South China Sea,” Chen told reporters after meeting Admiral Mike Mullen in Beijing. “However, we are observing the latest joint exercises between the US and other countries, for example the Philippines and Vietnam.
