Palace stays course on Spratlys

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THE Palace reiterated on Wednesday that the government will abide by its policy of arbitration and diplomacy in dealing with issues involving the South China Sea even as a United States think-tank said Beijing may be building its third airstrip on artificial islands in disputed waters.

“The situation there primarily deals with, again, our approach to the situation in the West Philippine Sea, that is to go through the arbitration track, and to go through the diplomatic track,” Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said.

“Because that will resolve a number of issues besetting us in the West Philippine Sea, and so that’s the best track that we will continue to use—the arbitration track and also the diplomatic track,” he added.

Lacierda made the remark after the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies claimed on Sept. 8 that China is building another air strip on Mischief Reef, one of several artificial islands China has created in the Spratly archipelago.

Read more: http://manilastandardtoday.com/2015/09/17/palace-stays-course-on-spratlys/

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