第十四周阅读材料.doc

China urges Philippines to ease tensions China on Friday urged the Philippines to take tangible actions to ease tensions in the dispute over Huangyan Island, as hundreds of Filipinos protested outside the Chinese embassy in Manila. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei criticized the Philippines for instigating its people to protest. It is a false move, he said at a news briefing on Friday. It will only make the issue bigger and more complicated. About 300 people turned up at noon in front of the Chinese embassy in Manila, carrying banners and waving Philippine flags, and held a noisy protest, said the Chinese embassy. The figure is way below initial estimates, as media anticipated 1,000 people showing up for “large-scale” protests in the Philippine capital. The protesters sang patriotic hymns and chanted anti-China slogans, and left quietly after a one-hour protest under close watch of dozens of police, AFP reported. China and the Philippines have been embroiled in a dispute over Huangyan Island in the South China Sea for one month, stemming from Philippine harassment of Chinese fishermen who sought harbor at the island from bad weather. Ren Yuanzhe, a researcher at China Foreign Affairs University, said the Philippine protesters cannot change the fact that Huangyan Island is part of China. Manila is using the incident to incite national sentiment and has damaged bilateral relations, he said. Hong said China is concerned about the safety of its citizens in the Philippines and asked Manila to ensure their security. Many Chinese travel agencies have suspended tours to the Southeast Asian nation, while the Chinese government has advised its companies and nationals in the country to stay alert. A spokesman for Philippine President Benigno Aquino on Friday denied government involvement with the protest, although some of the organizers have links with the president’s political allies, including his chief political adviser, Reuters reported. “It was the decision taken by pr