Dispute simmers but Philippines withdraws warship
The Philippines Thursday said it has withdrawn its largest warship from a simmering stand-off with Chinese boats in the South China Sea, but the dispute remains far from over with both countries deploying non-military boats in the disputed area.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said the Philippines was trying to negotiate an end to the five-day impasse at the tiny set of islands and reefs, known as the Scarborough Shoal.
"We are pursuing the diplomatic track in terms of coming to a resolution on the issue," del Rosario told reporters.
But a 56-meter-long search and rescue coast guard vessel of the Philippines remains at the disputed Scarborough Shoal.
Military commander Lieutenant General Anthony Alcantara said the warship would still roam around the area and that a second coast guard vessel would also soon arrive.
Del Rosario said a third Chinese maritime vessel arrived in the area Thursday taking the Philippines by surprise.
"There are three ships there now. Three white ships," he said.
He said the Chinese side "did not" inform the Philippine negotiators about the deployment of the extra ship.
The standoff began Sunday when Philippine authorities found eight Chinese fishing boats at Scarborough Shoal.
In a statement, the Philippines said its navy found a large amount of illegally-caught fish and coral from the Chinese fishing vessels.
The row escalated into a diplomatic tension Wednesday when the two governments accused each other of being illegally present at the disputed site.
Source: The Asia News.Net
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