MANILA, Philippines -- President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines has ordered military officials to stop construction work on a sandbar in a disputed area of the South China Sea after Beijing complained, the country's defense chief said Wednesday.
Duterte's decision to halt work on the project, which was to include a shelter for Philippine fishermen, signals an effort to improve ties with China before a regional summit in Vietnam this weekend.
China complained in August about the work on the sandbar at Sandy Cay, according to the Philippine defense secretary, Delfin Lorenzana. The sandbar is near Thitu Island, which Manila calls Pag-Asa Island and claims as its own.
"They complained that we were occupying a new feature," Lorenzana said, adding that the Philippine Defense Ministry had transported people there "to put structures for our fishermen."
[INTERACTIVE MAP: Claims to the South China Sea]
The resource-rich Spratly Islands, where Sandy Cay is located, are claimed in whole or in part by both nations, as well as by Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam. Beijing has been creating artificial islands in the South China Sea, expanding former reefs and outcrops into guarded, permanent outposts and increasing tensions with Washington, which has sent warships through the area.
Lorenzana said Beijing had invoked an agreement between the Chinese and Philippine foreign ministers to maintain the status quo in the area and not to occupy any new land features, in an effort to reduce tensions in the area. He said Duterte had been informed of the "standoff" and had decided to halt construction on the sandbar.
"I agree with the decision because it was indeed a new feature," Lorenzana said.
China claims ownership of a vast majority of the South China Sea, asserting rights even to waters near the shores of other nations.
A third of global maritime traffic passes through the South China Sea, making the disputes a source of contention, with defense strategists and analysts warning that competing ownership claims could lead to armed conflict.
The Philippines has contested many of China's claims, but since assuming office last year, Duterte has taken a more conciliatory stance. The president, who is the current chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, hopes to begin negotiations this year for a code of conduct that would govern actions in the region. Duterte will host the association's leaders in Manila next week.
But some Philippine lawmakers oppose what they see as Duterte's acquiescence to China.
Rep. Gary Alejano, a former marine captain who had warned of China's increasing presence near Pag-Asa, accused Duterte of buckling to Beijing, saying the Philippines could rightfully set up structures on the sandbar.
"There was no new occupation of the sandbars by the Philippines because these sandbars have been traditionally under effective control by Philippine troops," he said.
Alejano noted that the sandbars in question, about 2.5 miles from Pag-Asa, were subject to regular patrols and visits by Philippine forces and fishermen.
"That is part of Duterte's strategy of silence, inaction and subservience to China's actions in the South China Sea," he said.
Harry Roque, a spokesman for Duterte, said in an interview Tuesday that the president had relied "on the principle of good faith" in dealing with China's expansionist ambitions in the region, and he described relations between the two countries as "very warm."
"I think we are witnessing a renaissance of sorts as far as China and Philippine relations are concerned, and this bodes well for peaceful resolution of the varying claims" in the South China Sea, Roque said.
He said Duterte had opted to maintain "very close and cordial" relations with China, noting that his state visit to Beijing last year had resulted in pledges of Chinese investment in the Philippines.
But he warned that the government had also made "contingency plans" in case relations hit a sour note again.
"We will rely on peaceful means of settling disputes -- recognizing that we also have the right to self-defense," Roque said.
In a speech Wednesday, Duterte highlighted his country's warmer relations with Beijing.
"We are friends of China; we owe them a debt of gratitude," he said, noting that the Chinese government had helped the Philippines by supplying arms to fight militants in Marawi on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao.
A Section on 11/09/2017