Philippines urges Beijing to engage in friendly initiatives
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The Philippines called on China to engage diplomatically amid increasing tensions over territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
“Instead of condemning the friendly games between the Philippines andVietnam, China should focus on engaging the Philippines in friendly initiatives,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said.
Filipino and Vietnamese troops on Sunday played football, volleyball and tug-of-war on the Vietnamese-occupied Southwest Cay Island. The games were held as part of efforts to boost cooperation between the two forces, even though the Philippines also claims Southwest Cay.
Manila and Hanoi are planning to hold annual friendly games, which the Philippines will host next year, officials said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Cunying on Monday denounced the event as a “clumsy farce” and called on the two countries to stop causing trouble.
The Philippines and Vietnam are both facing increasingly aggressive acts from Beijing, which claims nearly the entire South China Sea.
The Philippines has filed an arbitration case against China with a UN tribunal in The Hague, which has given Beijing until December 15 to reply. China has refused to participate in the arbitration.
Vietnam is also preparing to file a similar case against China after Beijing deployed a mobile oil rig near the Paracel Islands, which triggered anti-Chinese protests and riots that killed one and injured more than 100.
