Obama focuses on South China Sea dispute ahead of APEC

US President Barack Obama has put a firm focus on the South China Sea dispute, as an economic summit of Asia Pacific nations begins in Manila, capital city of the Philippines. Mr. Obama said China must stop land reclamation in the disputed waters, a day after committing monetary and naval assistance to the Philippines, which has competing claims with China.

American President Barack Obama in 2011

China's President Xi Jinping is also in Manila for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit of about 20 heads of state and governments. China said its dredging work is legal. The land reclamation, which began in late 2013, has turned submerged reefs into islands. However, the country has said it has "no intention to militarise" those islands.

China’s President Xi Jinping (left) and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (right)

The territorial dispute is not officially on the agenda of the APEC summit but is expected to overshadow it. Mr. Obama landed in Manila on Tuesday (November 17), but then immediately boarded a US-donated Philippines navy frigate that operates around the Spratly Islands, which are claimed by both the Philippines and China.

An American frigate – or warship – in the Arabian Gulf

Said the US President while onboard the frigate,

“We have a treaty obligation, an iron-clad commitment to the defence of our ally the Philippines. My visit here underscored our shared commitment to the security of the waters of this region and to freedom of navigation."

He did not mention China, but announced that two more vessels would be transferred to the Philippines along with a $250m package to enhance regional maritime security.

Antelope Reef in the Paracel islands

Rival countries have wrangled over a region in the South China Sea for centuries. It is a dispute over territory and sovereignty over ocean areas, and the Paracels and the Spratlys - two island chains claimed in whole or in part by a number of countries.

Alison Reef is an atoll of Spratly Islands

Although largely uninhabited, the Paracels and the Spratlys may have reserves of natural resources around them. There has been little detailed exploration of the area, so estimates are largely extrapolated from the mineral wealth of neighbouring areas. The sea is also a major shipping route and home to fishing grounds that supply the livelihoods of people across the region.

(All images - credit: Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons licence)