MANILA — President Aquino told Agence France-Presse on Tuesday that the world should fear the moves of China in the disputed territories.
He said that China’s efforts to claim most of the South China Sea is something that should alarm the “rest of the world.”
“Does it engender fear? Yes, I think it should engender fear for the rest of the world,” Aquino said in an exclusive interview in Malacañang.
He added that China’s reclamation activities is a potential threat to access to the international shipping lanes and fishing grounds in the area.
He also said that he do not believe that China intends to engage in a military conflict because of the territorial dispute.
The president, however said that it is was possible.
China has been reported conducting activities to reclaim reefs and islets in the contested parts of the South China Sea.
Aside from the Philippines other claimant countries include Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.