China 'dictatorial' in Scarborough Shoal dispute, says Albert del Rosario
Philippine minister says Beijing told Manila it aims to permanently station ships in disputed territory, creating an 'impossible' situation
China has told the Philippines it intends to keep ships permanently stationed at the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, according to the Philippines' foreign secretary.
In a wide-ranging interview yesterday with the , Secretary Albert del Rosario described Beijing's moves as "dictatorial" and warned that its new leadership might struggle to ignore demands from the public for more assertiveness.
He said he feared a permanent presence would make it "impossible" to return to earlier diplomatic efforts to prevent the dispute harming broader Sino-Philippine ties.
"They have told us what their intention is, we don't have to guess," del Rosario said when asked about the activities of Chinese ships at the shoal - known in Chinese as Huangyan Island or as Panatag Shoal to the Philippines.
"They say that these ships will remain there permanently. The longer the ships remain, the more impossible the situation becomes."
Del Rosario's remarks come after days of diplomacy over the strategic and oil-rich South China Sea, virtually all of which is claimed by China through its controversial nine-dotted line.
The Philippines objected to Cambodian claims at an Asean meeting this month that the grouping had agreed not to "internationalise" the issue, while Manila, Hanoi and New Delhi have formally protested against new Chinese passports showing the nine-dotted line.
