Ministry announces new regulatory requirements for factories within and outside urban areas    SFDA publishes guidelines for travelers to obtain clearance permit for controlled drugs    11 expats arrested for prostitution in Najran    Saudi Arabia's inflation falls to 5-month low reaching 2.1% in July    SOCPA fellowship opens for professionals worldwide with exam slated for September    Putin praises Trump's peace efforts and floats potential nuclear deal at Alaska summit    Al Nassr arrive in Hong Kong targeting Saudi Super Cup glory    Saudi referee Reem Al-Bishi selected for FIFA Women's Futsal World Cup in Philippines    WHO designates Jeddah and Madinah among 16 "Healthy Cities"    Australia and Vanuatu agree to $328m security and business deal    Red Sea International achieves 44% growth in operating profits for H1 2025 The company announces Q2 2025 financial results    Humanitarian groups call on Israel to end 'weaponization of aid' in Gaza    Melania Trump threatens to sue Hunter Biden for $1bn over Epstein claim    Baby Shark did not plagiarize, South Korea's top court rules    Unreasonable wages, salary delays to trigger violations under Mudad system    PIF raises $9.83 billion in 2024, boosts global ranking to 11th, says Yasir Al-Rumayyan    Visual Arts Commission set to launch Art Bridges Cultural Programs in Scotland, Japan, Korea, and Spain    Saudi Pro League unveils 2025-26 fixture list with blockbuster opening clashes    Donations of living organs rise to 4.9% in Saudi Arabia in 2024    Saudi Arabia exit FIBA Asia Cup after overtime heartbreak against Philippines    Sholay: Bollywood epic roars back to big screen after 50 years with new ending    Ministry launches online booking for slaughterhouses on eve of Eid Al-Adha    Shah Rukh Khan makes Met Gala debut in Sabyasachi    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



China, Philippines argue over defense chief's island visit
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 23 - 04 - 2017

China has protested the visit by Manila's defense and military chiefs to a disputed island in the South China Sea, but the Philippine government maintained on Saturday that it owns the territory where Filipino troops and villagers have lived for decades.
The public argument comes amid a thaw in once-frosty relations between the neighbors after Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte took office last June and moved to rekindle Manila's friendship with Beijing, which has been strained by the long-seething territorial disputes.
Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and military chief of staff Gen. Eduardo Ano flew to the island, which Filipinos call Pag-asa, with dozens of journalists Friday to inspect an eroded airstrip. The Philippine government plans to reinforce and lengthen the airstrip and build a dock starting next month to accommodate ships with construction materials, Lorenzana said.
About 1.6 billion pesos ($32 million) has been earmarked for the construction, including a fish port, solar power, water desalination plant, improved housing for soldiers, and facilities for marine research and tourists.
Accompanied by military top brass, Lorenzana and Ano also met Filipino troops and villagers and took part in a flag-raising ceremony on Pag-asa, which is internationally known as Thitu and is called Zhongye Dao by China. It's the second-largest island in the South China Sea's hotly contested Spratlys archipelago.
In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang expressed China's displeasure over the high-profile Philippine visits to the island, saying China was "gravely concerned about and dissatisfied" by the island visits and adding that China "has lodged representations with the Philippine side."
"We hope that the Philippine side could cherish the hard-won sound momentum of development the bilateral relations are experiencing, faithfully follow the consensus reached between the two leaderships, maintain general peace and stability in the South China Sea," he said.
The Philippine government replied by saying the island was part of an island municipality under its western province of Palawan, which faces the disputed waters.
"Our visits there are part of the government mandate to ensure the safety, well being, livelihood and personal security of our citizens there," Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Robespierre Bolivar said in a statement in Manila.
During the trip to Pag-asa, Chinese forces tried to drive away two Philippine air force planes that carried Lorenzana, Ano and others as they flew near a Chinese man-made island called Subi, just 25 km away.
Lorenzana said their aircraft continued uninterrupted without any incident after Filipino pilots messaged back to the Chinese that they were flying over Philippine territory. The Chinese warned the Philippine aircraft they were entering the periphery of Chinese installations and told to avoid miscalculation.
The Chinese navy has similarly warned US ships and aircraft to leave what Beijing claims as its territory, messages which the Americans also ignored.
China claims virtually the entire sea and has aggressively tried to fortify its foothold by transforming in recent years seven mostly submerged reefs into island outposts, including Subi. Three of the artificial islands were built with runways, along with buildings, towers, radars and more recently weapons systems, to the consternation of other Asian claimant governments and the United States, which insists on freedom of navigation in international waters. — AP


Clic here to read the story from its source.