The Chinese encroachment on Mischief Reef the Philippines regards as the concern of all the powers interested in the stability of the South China Sea and its strategic sea-lanes. The Philippine government sees no substitutes for consultations that produce a consensus among six littoral states claiming portions of the Spratlys. President Ramos has proposed demilitarizing the South China Sea and placing each disputed island under the stewardship of the claimant-country closest to it. The claimant states can then undertake multilateral ventures in oil expansion, marine research, fishing enterprises, joint policing, environmental protection, and so forth, perhaps under a joint development authority.
Chinese leaders have several times reassured the Philippines that China poses no threat to the growth and stability of the Asia-Pacific. But the Philippines is still not completely at ease in its bilateral relationship with China. It cannot reconcile Beijing’s avowals of neighborliness and friendship with its continued presence on Mischief Reef.
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