Philippines rejects China demand on navy ship
Philippines rejects China’s demand to pull out a grounded navy ship from a disputed shoal in the South China Sea.
Published On 15 Mar 2014
The Philippines has rejected China’s demand to pull out a grounded navy ship from a disputed shoal in the South China Sea.
China had earlier blocked Philippine supplies from reaching the rusty ship at the Second Thomas Shoal, escalating tensions in the area.
The Philippines and the US have protested Beijing’s action as provocative.
The ship was sent to the Second Thomas Shoal in 1999 to serve as a permanent government outpost in response to China’s occupation in 1995 of a nearby reef that is also claimed by the Philippines, Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said in a statement on Friday.
China claims virtually the entire South China Sea, resource-rich waters where neighbouring nations also have claims.
Source: AP