China: Intl community won't accept PHL renaming of South China Sea

The international community is not likely to accept the Philippines' bid to rename part of the South China Sea as the West Philippine Sea, China claimed Friday.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said the renaming violated the international standardization of geographic names.

"China has repeatedly urged the Philippines to stop such man-made disputes that complicate the situation in the South China Sea," Hong said, according to an article posted on China's government web portal Saturday.

Earlier this week, President Benigno Aquino III signed an administrative order renaming part of the South China Sea as the West Philippine Sea.

The Philippine government said it will provide the United Nations with a copy of the order and a revised official map of the Philippines.

The Philippines and China have been locked in a territorial dispute over the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal since April.

Both parties are also claimants to the Spratly Islands, which are also being claimed by Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam.

However, Hong also pointed out the name "South China Sea" has long been acknowledged by the international community, adding the Philippines has also accepted and used this name in the past.-GMA News (September 15, 2012 7:04AM)