Philippines launches diplomatic offensive

The Philippines is launching a new diplomatic offensive to reassert its claim to the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.

In an interview with the BBC, the newly appointed national security adviser, Roilo Golez, said Manila was keen to protect its exclusive economic zone around the Spratly Islands, and accused China of slowly encroaching into the area.

China and the Philippines are two of a host of countries that claim ownership of all or part of the islands; the others are Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam.

Mr Golez has said resolving the dispute over the Spratlys is his number one security priority. The Spratlys are believed to cover substantial mineral deposits, although that's never been confirmed.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service