Philippines says won't protest China actions in Spratly Islands
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MANILA- The Philippines would not protest China's moves to militarise its man-made islands in the South China Sea, Foreign Minister Perfecto Yasay said on Friday, amid Manila's efforts to improve ties with Beijing.
China has deployed anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems on the artificial islets it has built in the disputed Spratly Islands, the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) at the Center for Strategic and International Studies said in findings reported by Reuters this week.
Speaking to reporters in Singapore during an official visit by President Rodrigo Duterte, Yasay said the government will not issue any diplomatic protest to China via a "note verbale".
"We will make sure that there will be no further actions that will heighten the tensions between the two countries, particularly in the Scarborough Shoal," Yasay said, referring to another group of disputed islets.
