US presence expected to deter ‘uncalled for’ Chinese actions - Gazmin

MANILA, Philippines — Presence of US troops could deter uncalled for actions by China in disputed waters, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said Thursday.

 

Gazmin said this during a joint press briefing with his US counterpart Defense Secretary Ashton Carter.

 

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Carter, however, said that the US doesn’t want “incidents associated with [the] land disputes” as they are not a party to them.

 

“With respect to Chinese claims in the South China Sea, with respect to the claims of all other parties to disputed territories to the South China Sea, the American position is, very clear we’ve been consistent for a long time, that these things should be settled peacefully and lawfully,” he said.

 

The Philippines has taken the legal route in resolving the territorial dispute by filing a case against China before a United Nations arbitral tribunal at The Hague in Netherlands. 

 

RELATED: Philippines expecting Hague ruling vs China by May

 

The Philippines and China have rival claims over parts of the South China Sea, where more than $5 trillion in maritime trade pass through yearly.