Manila cheered by reports G7 will address South China Sea dispute

Manila: The Philippines Sunday welcomed reports that the G7 summit would express concern about unilateral efforts to assert sovereignty claims in the disputed South China Sea. 

Regional alarm is growing at moves by China aggressively to stake its claim to most of the sea, including a large-scale island-building programme. 

The United States has also urged China and other nations to halt reclamation. 

Philippine presidential spokesman Herminio Coloma said Manila had bee ..