Aquino wants US spy planes

Philippine President Benigno Aquino said he may ask the United States to deploy spy planes over the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) to help monitor the disputed waters, a move that could worsen tensions with its giant neighbor China.

China and the Philippines only recently stepped back from a two-month standoff at Scarborough Shoal, a horseshoe-shaped reef within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. The United States has said it is neutral in the long-running maritime dispute and China has warned that “external forces” should not get involved in the dispute.

“We might be requesting overflights on that,” Mr. Aquino told Reuters in an interview, referring to US P3C Orion spy planes.

“We don’t have aircraft with those capabilities,” Mr. Aquino said.

The West Philippine Sea is potentially the biggest military flash point in Asia, and tensions have risen since the United States adopted a policy last year to reinforce its influence in the region. At stake is control over what are believed to be significant reserves of oil and gas.

Manila has been looking to its old ally Washington for ships, aircraft and surveillance and equipment as the United States refocuses its military attention on Asia. Manila has offered Washington greater access to airfields and its military facilities in exchange for more equipment and frequent training.

He said China should not be alarmed by Philippine efforts to improve its monitoring capability.

Scarborough Shoal is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, but China insists the shoal is part of its territory.- (Inquirer)