DFA: Philippines confirming reports of Chinese missiles sent to disputed seas

MANILA, Philippines – Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose on Wednesday said the Philippines is still confirming the reports that China positioned anti-aircraft missiles on a disputed island in the South China Sea.

“We have first to verify the information,” Jose said in a statement.

Fox News earlier reported that Beijing sent missile launchers to Woody Island in the Paracel Island chain, also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam.

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense earlier confirmed the deployment of missile in the Paracel group. However, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi denied that China sent a missile system to Woody Island.

READ: Taiwan confirms China sent missiles to disputed sea | China denies sending missiles to disputed island

Wang said the reports were only an attempt by Western media “to create news stories.”

Although the Philippines has no claim over the island, it remains protective tof he resource-rich waters and maintained that all claimant-states to the disputed waters should follow the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea which demands that there must be no use of force or intimidation and adhere to the principles of a non-binding and non-aggression pact on the South China Sea that was signed in 2002 by China and Southeast Asian states.

The reports of China’s missile set-up surfaced after the end of the United States-Association of South East Asian Nations leaders’ summit in Sunnylands, California.