Press Release
March 20, 2009

Chiz bats for all-claimants talks on Spratlys

Senator Chiz Escudero on Friday called on the government to initiate moves for all-party talks among the six claimant countries to ease tensions generated by recent developments on the disputed Spratlys group of islands in the South China Sea.

"The Philippines should take the lead in calming the brewing storm with China triggered by the passage of the Baselines Law," he said in a statement.

Escudero was responding to reports that China plans to send more patrol ships to handle fresh "challenges and complications" in the disputed chain of islands, reefs, and islets believed to be rich in oil and other mineral resources.

The senator said the six-party talks on North Korea can serve as a model to ensure that diplomacy continues to be the main arena in resolving the territorial dispute among China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Brunei.

"We need not reinvent the wheel. All we need to have is the will to work out a settlement that would be acceptable to all claimants," he said.

Escudero met late Wednesday with the new Chinese envoy to Manila, Liu Jianchao, who assured him that Beijing remains committed to resolving the dispute in the Spratlys through dialogue.

"We agreed that any issue or conflict must be resolved through peaceful and diplomatic avenues as stipulated in the ASEAN Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea," the senator said.

During the three-hour meeting on Wednesday night, the senator said the Chinese envoy agreed that the Philippines and China should continue to strengthen ties and look for more areas of cooperation in the social, political, and economic fields.

"We both expressed confidence that relations between the two countries will be strengthened and improved because of the friendship between our countries and peoples," the senator added.

Escudero also said he has accepted the Chinese envoy's invitation to visit China during the Senate's summer recess. The senator has previously visited Australia and Taiwan on the invitation of their governments.

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