China denies excluding Philippines from 'Maritime Silk Road'

MANILA, Philippines — China denied Friday that it intended to overlook the Philippines, its rival over maritime zones and features in the South China Sea, in a planned massive infrastructure initiative.

In a statement, the Chinese Embassy in Manila belied a Wall Street Journal report claiming that the Philippines was excluded from China's proposed "Maritime Silk Road" connecting Southeast Asia to Europe.

"The media report of 'China bypassing Philippines in its 21st century Maritime Silk Road' is incorrect," the embassy said.

It also denied having published a map showing the Philippines outside the trade route meant to bolster economic activities in the region.

"China has never published any official map of the 21st century Maritime Silk Road, nor has China excluded the Philippines from the blueprint," Beijing said.

"Since ancient times, the trade, cultural and personnel exchanges between China and the Philippines have been conducted on the sea with a history of more than a millennium," it added.

The newspaper report stated that the Philippines' legal action against China over the maritime dispute caused it to miss the opportunity for a greater economic engagement.

"Evidently, the Philippines won't be part of the Maritime Silk Road, even though Manila is one of the great entrepôts of Asia, with a storied history at least equal to ports like Singapore, Jakarta and Colombo that are all shown as stops on the Chinese map," the report said.

It also quoted Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Laura del Rosario saying, "Of course, we feel we're alone."

Beijing, however, said it welcomes the Philippines, is "definitely" part of the Maritime Silk Road as a "proactive and constructive partner."

The upcoming economic belt "serves the national interests of the Philippines and will contribute to the social and economic development of the Philippines," the embassy said.

The statement came after Philippine President Benigno Aquino III and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met at the APEC Summit in Beijing where the two countries agreed to find a "constructive solution" on the sea row.

"We are hopeful that both of us are really focused on finding a solution to this issue," Aquino had said.