South China Sea dispute sparks Manila protestScores of Filipino and Vietnamese protesters have rallied outside the Chinese embassy in Makati City, to call on China to respect a recent international ruling favoring the Philippines in the maritime dispute in the South China Sea. Other countries with overlapping claims in parts of the South China Sea are Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, Japan, and Taiwan. China announced on July 28 that it would conduct joint military maneuvers with Russia in September in the South China Sea, where the main point of conflict is the sovereignty of the Spratly and Paracel archipelagos. China does not recognize the PCA verdict and has asked the Philippines and other neighboring countries to resolve the conflict through bilateral talks instead of a US-brokered solution. NCAN said the protesters condemned China’s territorial intrusions into the disputed waters and urged Beijing to respect the July 12 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) at The Hague.

Source: Manila Bulletin August 06, 2016 10:07 UTC