South China Sea dispute: Philippines urges China to 'respect maritime law'

Philippine Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay called on China on Thursday to respect maritime law and security, and the rule of law, to resolve peacefully disputes in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea. [caption id=“attachment_2949390” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  South China Sea. Getty images[/caption] Yasay met his Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida, in the Philippines to discuss regional security and cooperation in maritime security and law enforcement, as well as Japanese help for economic development. “We urge China to make sure that maritime law and security must be completely and uncompromisingly respected,” Yasay told a news conference, adding the Philippines and Japan shared experiences in the South China Sea and East China Sea. Japan has a dispute with China over tiny islands in the East China Sea while the Philippines and China have overlapping claims in the South China Sea.