Philippine group protests against China's project on Spratly Islands

Members of a political party allied with Philippine President Benigno Aquino marked the country's Independence Day yesterday by protesting against China's moves to reclaim land on the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, where the two countries are locked in a territorial dispute.

About 200 members and supporters of the Akbayan Party protested peacefully at the Chinese Consulate in Manila on the 116th anniversary of Philippine independence from Spanish colonialism to "assert sovereignty" over the disputed area.

China claims virtually the entire South China Sea, including the potentially resource-rich Spratly Islands chain, where it has overlapping claims with the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam. Disputes among China, Vietnam and the Philippines have intensified this year. The Spratlys are mostly barren islands, reefs and atolls that are believed to be atop oil and natural gas deposits. They also straddle one of the world's busiest sea lanes.

Last month, the Philippine government released military surveillance photos of Chinese land reclamation on Johnson South Reef, which is part of the Spratlys and claimed by Manila.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said then that it was not clear what China would build on the reclaimed land, but that an airstrip was a possibility.