21.   The official said the two sides hope to resolve their overlapping claims to the islands themselves in separate talks.

22.   The Philippines and China are among six countries with overlapping claims to the Spratlys, which are believed to sit atop valuable oil and gas deposits.

23.   The two countries have overlapping claims to the Spratlys, a chain of atolls and submerged reefs believed to lie atop reserves of oil and natural gas.

24.   Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand have overlapping claims in the Gulf of Thailand.

25.   He cited overlapping territorial claims to oil and gas resources in the South China Sea, disputes in the Korean peninsula and Taiwan as potential areas of conflict.

26.   He also urged that countries with overlapping claims in the region cooperate with one another without resorting to military action.

27.   He was followed in Manila two months ago by Chinese Defense Minister Chi Haotian, who agreed to improve measures to address overlapping claims.

28.   He was referring especially to overlapping territorial claims in the South China Sea among nations of the region.

29.   However areas of water in which two countries have overlapping claims must be settled bilaterally.

30.   A second deals with joint claims over the Gulf of Tonkin itself, while the third deals with overlapping claims to the Spratly Islands and the Paracel Islands.