Philippine President Benigno Aquino has signed an order renaming the contested South China Sea to West Philippine Sea and the name will be registered to the United Nations.
However Chinese and Taiwanese officials assert that renaming the South China Sea won't affect their sovereignty among the area thereby rejecting and dishonoring the move of the Philippine government and such unilateral motion will just spark conflicts in the area.
The area is disputed and it is thought to contain massive reserves of gas or oil. The claim of the Philippines to some portions of the area is based on the UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas) wherein 200 miles from the coast is considered to be the Exclusive Economic Zone of the country.
The rocky outcrop sits about 230 kilometres (140 miles) from the west
coast of the Philippines' main island of Luzon, while the nearest major
Chinese landmass is 1,200 kilometres northwest, according to Philippine
navy maps.
The Philippines defended its latest move, with Aquino's spokesman
Edwin Lacierda saying the renaming should not be a "cause of conflict"
with its neighbours.
"How does one threaten other nations when what we've called the West
Philippine Sea covers (our) exclusive economic zone?," he said.
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