BEIJING (PTI): The maritime row between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea has flared up as Manila with tacit US backing lined up its naval ships at the disputed island to challenge Chinese claims over it, leaving a perplexed Beijing to mull military options.
Besides deploying two naval ships after intense military drills with US Marines close to the uninhabited island, Manila has geared up to seek international arbitration asserting that the Scarborough Shoal, called by China as Huangyan Island is part of its Exclusive Economic Zone, (EEZ) as it is located within the its 200 nautical mile radius.
The sudden palpable tensions between the two countries were expected to dominate the annual US-China strategic and economic dialogue here on May 3, which would be attended among others by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Philippine officials currently in Washington to seek US support said that they intend to raise the territorial dispute with China with the US in defence talks scheduled for Monday.
The US which has a defence treaty with the Philippines has not taken any overt stand on the dispute.
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