THE Arroyo government yesterday sought to downplay the collision last Friday off Subic waters between a United States warship and a Chinese submarine.

Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said that the two ships were outside Philippine waters when the Chinese submarine reportedly collided with the sonar array being towed by the US Navy destroyer John McCain.

"There was no provocation involved and we are confident that the issue could be diplomatically resolved by all parties concerned," Remonde said.

In Camp Aguinaldo, Defense Assistant Secretary Alberto Valenzuela said that the incident occurred about 125 nautical miles off Subic, near the Scarborough Shoal which is being claimed by the Philippines and China, and which is 123 nautical miles from Subic.

While the incident occurred inside the country’s 200-mile exclusive economic zone, Valenzuela said foreign vessels are allowed passage in the area as long as they are not out to exploit the area economically.

Valenzuela said the country’s territorial water is only about 12 nautical miles from the shore and therefore outside the country’s area of responsibility.

"Our concern is that we must be sure that no foreign vessels enter our territorial waters without authority. We cannot prohibit them from passing through," he said.