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Manila The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) maintained that there is nothing illegal on the marine activities to be conducted by China, Vietnam and the Philippines in the disputed islands of Spratlys in the South China Sea, a senior official said.
Foreign affairs secretary Alberto Romulo was reacting to a statement of a group of fishermen, Pamalakaya, that warned against alleged oil exploration by Chinese companies on the disputed islands.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) has signed with China the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea in 2002 to prevent any political and military tension among the claimant parties.
"The Declaration of Conduct is aimed at reducing the tension among the claimants by maintaining the status quo and temporarily putting ownership issues in the backburner," said Romulo.
Agreement
He reiterated that the agreement also "prohibits any activity that might escalate tension in the area, and encourages activities that would build mutual trust, cooperation and mutual confidence among the claimant states".
In 2004, claimant countries China, Vietnam and the Philippines signed the Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JMSU) that allows the exploration of marine resources that can be found in the disputed islands of Spratlys.
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