DFA to China: Move out, stop island-building in West Philippine Sea

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) called on China yesterday to stop its occupation and island-building activities in Panganiban (Mischief) and Zamora (Subi) Reefs in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

Asserting Philippine sovereign rights over the low-tide elevations, the DFA said both features fall within the Philippine exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and the country’s continental shelf in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and as upheld by the 2016 Arbitral Award.

“We call on China to cease its illegal occupation and activities in Panganiban Reef and Zamora Reef immediately, and to abide by the final and binding 2016 Arbitral Award,” the DFA said.

The DFA noted that with low-tide elevations, “the Philippines exercises sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the features, and these can neither be the subject of a sovereignty claim nor capable of appropriation under international law.”

“China’s island-building on both features violates the Philippine Maritime Zones Act (Republic Act 12064) and UNCLOS, as confirmed by the Award, and does not change the features’ legal status as a low-tide elevation,” the DFA stressed.

“The department will continue to assert the Philippines’ sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea, and champion the Philippines’ legitimate rights and interests in the maritime domain,” the DFA said.

The DFA’s statement came after the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) fired multiple flares against an unarmed Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) aircraft conducting a maritime domain awareness flight on Monday.

Chinese forces occupying Panganiban and Zamora Reefs also issued radio challenges to the Philippine aircraft before landing on Pag-asa Island.

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. said that he sees more of the same assertiveness from China and expressed the need for partners to “change the way we react” during the 2nd Manila Strategy Forum organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies on Thursday.

Speaking with Gregory Poling, senior fellow and director, Southeast Asia Program and Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the CSIS, Teodoro called out China’s increasing activities in the WPS, including the harassment of coast guard and naval vessels and aircraft, and their recent announcement of establishing a marine observatory in Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal or Bajo De Masinloc.

“As I keep on repeating, we are in a struggle; this is not going to be solved overnight. But I know that it’s not going to be resolved if we are not resilient, if we are not firm on our positions in not only the West Philippine Sea but the whole of the maritime domain of the Philippines to include our extended continental shelf,” Teodoro said.

In other regions, he noted that several European countries have not been shy about cyber and maritime threats like submarine cables, of which “they feel that China is threatening them.”

“So I think we see this assertiveness by China perhaps due to what they call ‘Xi Jinping Thought’ and the resurgence of a new China coupled with the Global South and a new international order, which is Sinocentric,” he explained.

“I think we will see more of the same. We should not expect any change in their behavior; what we should change is the way we react,” Teodoro said.

Research ship’s findings

The PCG is urging China to disclose the results and data gathered by its research vessel after spending 30 days within the country’s exclusive economic zone.

PCG spokesman for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela said the Chinese survey vessel Haiyang Dizhi Shihao left Philippine waters as of Friday morning.

PCG noted that the research ship entered the Philippine EEZ on Aug. 10 before arriving in Bajo de Masinloc (Panatag) a day later. It exited the shoal on Sept. 8 before leaving the country’s EEZ the following day.

“That is 30 days inside our EEZ, 28 of them off Bajo de Masinloc, without any permit from the Philippine government, as confirmed by the Department of Foreign Affairs,” said Tarriela.

The PCG said the research ship left Panatag Shoal a day after its activities were publicly reported and confirmed as unauthorized by the DFA.

“Chinese survey and research vessels rely on quiet, uncontested presence. Public disclosure denies them exactly that,” Tarriela said. “Transparency raises the cost of unauthorized marine scientific research in our waters and the evidence keeps showing that it works.”

Tarriela demanded that China publish the data it took while loitering in Philippine waters for over 30 days. “Whether Beijing responds or not, the Philippines puts on record that this activity was illegal and that information gathered in our EEZ belongs to the Filipino people,” he said. — Andrew Ronquillo