China lodges stern protest to Philippines

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-03-14 00:11

BEIJING -- China's Assistant Foreign Minister Hu Zhengyue on Thursday urgently summoned the Philippine Ambassador to China and lodged stern representation on signing of the 2009 Baseline Bill by President Gloria Arroyo about the sovereignty of islands in the South China Sea.

The Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Liu Jianchao on Friday also lodged stern representation to the Secretary of foreign Affairs of the Philippines Alberto Romulo on the same issue.

Hu reaffirmed China's principle and stance on the issue of South China Sea, emphasizing that the claim to territorial sovereignty over Huangyan Island and Nansha Islands by any other country is illegal and invalid.

China asked the Philippines to abide by its commitment and immediately stop all the activities that infringe upon China's sovereignty rights and complicate and magnify the South China Sea disputes, Hu said.

The 2009 baseline bill was passed by both chambers of the Philippine Congress last month and has drawn strong protests from China.

Upon the bill's passage through the Congress, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Guangya summoned the Charge d'affaires of the Philippine embassy in China, Maria Barber, to lodge a stern protest.