'Three phases of dispute'Carpio said he looks at the dispute in the South China Sea with China, which claims almost 85 percent of the vast body of water, in three phases. In the first phase, Carpio said, the Chinese asserted "indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea." They expressly recognize that the Philippines has sovereign rights. If China gets the job inside the service contractors, then we have entered the third phase," Carpio elaborated on his reading of the MOU. Aside from the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also claim parts of South China Sea.

Source: Philippine Star November 25, 2018 02:15 UTC