Manila Says May Sign Agreements With Beijing To Reduce Tensions In South China Sea

MOSCOW, June 3 (Bernama-Sputnik/RIA Novosti) -- The Philippines is considering the possibility of concluding new agreements with China to reduce tensions in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, Philippine Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo said.

"If there were to ever be such an agreement, it would have to be consistent with our position, that it doesn't affect our sovereign rights, our sovereignty … So certainly, there's a possibility," Manalo said in an interview with the Nikkei Asia news portal on Monday.

He added that any new agreements will be reached through "dialogue and diplomacy."

"What I hope is that China, you know, adopts less aggressive manoeuvres and is more cooperative in ensuring more or less a free and open South China Sea ... Now, we have no intention of challenging China militarily, or in any other way. We, in fact, we've always said we're open to dialogue," Manalo noted.

At the same time, the foreign minister reportedly said that the Philippines does not rule out the possibility of filing an international lawsuit against China, similar to the one that was satisfied in Manila's favor in 2016. However, there are no "active preparations" for such steps, he added.

The territorial affiliation of several islands in the South China Sea has been the subject of disputes between China and several other Asia-Pacific countries for decades. Significant oil and gas reserves have been discovered on the continental shelves of those islands, including the Paracel Islands, the Spratly Islands, Thitu Island and Scarborough Shoal. Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and the Philippines have been involved in the disputes.

The situation in the South China Sea is often complicated by the passage of US warships, which, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, violate international law and undermine China's sovereignty and security. Despite Beijing's protests, Washington has insisted on its right to sail wherever international law permits.

--BERNAMA-SPUTNIK/RIA NOVOSTI