The Philippines and China have traded accusations of intentional ramming of each others' vessels in a series of clashes last month, just after reaching a pact on resupply missions to a beached Filipino naval ship in the Second Thomas Shoal. - AP
MANILA/BEIJING: The Philippines will stick to its position on Sabina Shoal, it said on Thursday (Sept 12), even while exploring ways to ease tension in the area during "frank and candid" talks with China on managing disputes in the key waterway of the South China Sea.
The South-East Asian nation's sustained presence at the feature, aiming to monitor what it suspects to be China's small-scale reclamation activities has angered Beijing, turning the shoal into their latest flashpoint in the contested waters.
