CHINA has expressed alarm over the visit of Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and military generals to Pag-asa Island last Friday, saying the move ran against a “consensus” between Beijing and Manila to peacefully settle their maritime row. China calls Pag-asa Island, one of the biggest in the Spratlys, “Zhongye Dao” or “Thitu.”Lorenzana and AFP officials raised the Philippine flag during their visit to the island, a municipality under Palawan province. “This is just a normal visit within our territory, which we believe and we know is [our]territory,” he said. Philippine officials are investigating the reported attack on the Princess Johann boat, which the crew said occurred near a Chinese-occupied section of the Spratly archipelago. “But our position on the South China Sea issue is consistent and clear.

Source: Manila Times April 22, 2017 16:07 UTC