China today welcomed a watered down statement by the ASEAN over the disputed South China Sea issue and lauded Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte's visit to a Chinese naval ship where he expressed desire for joint military exercises with Beijing.
"We read the chairman's statement from the 30th ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) summit in Manila concerning the South China Sea issue. With the joint efforts, the situation is becoming more positive," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang told media here.
Geng skirted a question whether China had exerted pressure to drop references to its "land reclamation and militarisation". The references to China's land reclamation and militarisation were part of previous ASEAN statements.
It was apparently dropped as China got more support over its military push into the disputed South China Sea after Duterte completely scaled down Philippines' opposition even over last year's international tribunal award quashing Beijing's claims over the area.
"Since last year, with the joint efforts of China and ASEAN countries including the Philippines, temperatures in the South China Sea situation have gone down and things have eased up. I think this accords with the interests of countries in the region," Geng said.
The relevant situation at this ASEAN summit again fully shows the positive changes in the South China Sea situation and that the joint wish of countries in this region is to seek stability, promote cooperation and seek development, and this should be respected and supported by all sides, Geng added.
China says nearly the entire South China Sea falls within its territory, with half a dozen other countries maintaining partially overlapping claims.
China has built a series of artificial islands on reefs and rocks in attempt to bolster its position, complete with military-length airstrips and anti-aircraft weapons.
The strategic South China Sea is rich in energy reserves, fishery resources and is a busy shipping route.
The Chinese media today gave front page coverage to Duterte's trip to the Chinese naval ship, which is on a friendly visit to the Philippines.
"I agree (to the idea). You can have joint exercise here in Mindanao, maybe in the Sulu Sea," Duterte said after visiting the guided missile destroyerChangchun of the People's Liberation Army navy docked at Sasa Wharf in his hometown of Davao City, the state-run Xinhua news agency said.
The Chinese ships arrived in the Philippines on Sunday for a three-day goodwill visit, the first Chinese naval fleet to make a port call to the Southeast Asian country in seven years, a sign of warming ties between the two countries.
For its part China has committed billions of dollars of investment in Philippines as a gesture to Duterte scaling down Manila's vociferous claims on the South China Sea.
The visit is a clear sign that Duterte is improving Sino-Philippine ties after his predecessor Benigno Aquino III took the territorial disputes to an arbitration court in The Hague and sunk bilateral ties to an all-time low, said Zhuang Guotu, head of the Center of Southeast Asian Studies at Xiamen University.
"Duterte made it clear that Manila does not wish to challenge Beijing or engage in any form of military conflict. His primary concern is economic cooperation, for which he knows China's help would be crucial," Zhuang told the Global Times.
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