Observe the rule of law

Japan and the Philippines joined forces yesterday to call on China to observe the rule of law in resolving maritime disputes after an international tribunal rejected Beijing's claims to most of the South China Sea.

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida met his counterpart Perfecto Yasay in the southern Philippine city of Davao where both pledged to work closely to boost maritime security while facing separate sea disputes with China.

"We have agreed that in the pursuit of the solution to the conflict in the maritime area, it is important to base ourselves on the rule of law and resort to peaceful means and not the use of force or coercion," Kishida said, referring to the UN-backed tribunal's finding published in July.

"We invoke and urge China to make sure that maritime security and the rule of law must completely and uncompromisingly be respected," Yasay said in his statement.

Japan and China are locked in a long-running dispute over uninhabited islets in the East China Sea, while Manila and Beijing have overlapping claims in the South China Sea.

Kishida on Tuesday called in Cheng Yonghua, Beijing's envoy to Tokyo, following what Japan calls "intrusions" by Chinese ships near the disputed islands for five consecutive days.

Meanwhile, Beijing-run media yesterday warned Vietnam about military deployment in the South China Sea by reminding it that the last time the two countries went to war it was China that won.

A state-run media outlet in China said it's "a terrible mistake" on Vietnam's part if it has deployed mobile rocket launchers aimed at China on the disputed South China Sea, as Reuters reported.

"If Vietnam's latest deployment is targeting China, that would be a terrible mistake. We hope Vietnam will remember and draw some lessons from history," said an article in Global Times, a state-run media outlet.

After the Reuters report was published, the US said it's aware of the report. It also urged "all claimants to avoid actions that raise tensions," Reuters said.

Vietnam's Foreign Ministry reportedly said the information about the rocket launchers is "inaccurate".

China has conducted massive reclamation in the South China Sea, with a US-based think tank releasing images this week showing what appears to be Beijing building military aircraft hangars on disputed reefs.