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A10 WORLD NEWS
Friday 24 February 2017
Philippines: If China builds on shoal, it would strain ties

JIM GOMEZ step. “Now we are happy rapid growth of China-Phil-
Associated Press and assured of the fact ippine relations.”
MANILA, Philippines (AP) they will not do so,” he said. “China thinks they are
— The Philippines’ top dip- Five months after Duterte baffling and regrettable,”
lomat said Thursday any made a state visit to China, Geng said. “We hope
move by China to transform Yasay disclosed for the first Mr. Yasay can follow the
a Manila-claimed shoal time that Chinese President agreement reached by
into an island would be a Xi Jinping had told the Phil- the two leaders as well as
“game-changer” in blos- ippine leader during their the common expectation
soming relations, although meetings that China had of countries in the region,
he added that Beijing has no plans to build on Scar- watch his words and ac-
pledged not to undertake borough. tions and genuinely strive
any construction in the stra- Yasay grudgingly gave de- for good China-Philippines
tegically located area of tails of Xi’s pledge when ties and regional peace
the South China Sea. pressed by reporters. and stability.”
Foreign Secretary Perfecto Duterte and other officials The U.S. military has been
Yasay Jr. said any Chinese have not disclosed full de- closely watching Chinese
construction in Scarbor- tails of the meeting and activities in Scarborough
ough Shoal would be “a have tried to avoid any Shoal, which Beijing seized
very serious, provocative confrontational language in 2012 after a dangerous
act” that would undermine to foster warmer relations standoff with Philippine ves-
the Philippine claim to the with Beijing. sels. The shoal lies near a
rich fishing area. The assurance was part of vital passageway leading
China has turned seven efforts by the Asian neigh- to the Taiwanese Strait and
mostly submerged dis- bors to rebuild ties that led the East China Sea south
puted reefs into sprawl- to Filipino fishermen regain- of Japan, another Ameri-
ing islands, including three ing access to the shoal last can ally territorially at odds
with runways, in the last Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. gestures year, he said. Duterte, who with China.
three years. The actions as he talks to reporters in Manila, Philippines, Thursday, Feb. took office in June, has Duterte’s predecessor, Be-
have alarmed China’s rival 23, 2017. Yasay said any move by China to transform a Ma- reached out to China and nigno Aquino III, brought
claimants and the United nila-claimed shoal into an island would be a “game-changer” prioritized economic en- the Philippines’ disputes
in blossoming relations although he added that Beijing has
States, especially after re- pledged not to undertake any construction in the strategically gagement with the Asian with China to international
ports that Beijing was install- located area of the South China Sea. economic powerhouse. arbitration, a move that
ing missile systems on the (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) Chinese Foreign Ministry was rejected by Beijing.
man-made islands. takes construction or turns intelligence reports coming spokesman Geng Shuang The arbitration tribunal in
“If they would do that, Scarborough Shoal, which from the Americans that told reporters in Beijing, The Hague invalidated Chi-
that will really be a game- lies off the northwestern they were poised to send however, that Yasay’s re- na’s sweeping territorial
changer,” Yasay replied Philippines, into another is- dredging vessels precisely marks appeared to contra- claims in the South Chi-
when asked in a news land. to convert this ... shoal into dict agreements reached na Sea based on historical
conference how President “There seems to have been an artificial island,” Yasay between Xi and Duterte grounds last July, adding
Rodrigo Duterte’s friendly a threat before or a percep- said, but he added he did in China last year, add- that China had violated
demeanor to China might tion that they were going not expect China would ing that the statements go the rights of Filipinos to fish
change if China under- to build, in fact, there were take such a provocative against the “steady and at Scarborough.q

North Korean state media say China dancing to US tune

ERIC TALMADGE the U.S.” cused Beijing of essentially have a negative impact cally for the news agency,
Associated Press The article took a tone nor- abandoning North Korea on the living of the people carried a byline, Jong Phil.
TOKYO (AP) — North Ko- mally reserved for North in favor of the United States in the DPRK but to check China on Sunday began
rea’s state-run news agen- Korea’s overt enemies — by cutting off imports of its nuclear program,” it a suspension of all coal
cy issued a tough critique Washington, Tokyo and coal in compliance with said. DPRK is short for North imports from North Korea
of China on Thursday, sug- Seoul. United Nations sanctions. Korea’s official name, the for the rest of the year as
gesting Beijing’s criticism of Without directly using Chi- “This country, styling itself Democratic People’s Re- it increases pressure on it
the North’s recent missile na’s name, but referring to a big power, is dancing to public of Korea. in line with U.N. Security
test and suspension of im- it as “a neighboring coun- the tune of the U.S. while It added that China has Council sanctions imposed
ports of North Korean coal try, which often claims it- defending its mean behav- “unhesitatingly taken in- in November in response
are tantamount to the ac- self to be a ‘friendly neigh- ior with such excuses that humane steps” to comply to the North’s fifth nuclear
tions of an enemy state bor,’” the Korean Central it (the suspension of coal with U.N. sanctions.
“dancing to the tune of News Agency report ac- imports) was meant not to The article, uncharacteristi- test two months earlier.q