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CHINESE TRAINING The Philippine government has protested the latest Chinese incursion into the Western Philippine Sea, where more than 200 vessels believed to be part of China’s maritime militia invaded the Julian Felipe Reef within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone. The military says there are still 183 of these ships as of Monday, as shown in this image taken by an air patrol. —PICTURE CONTRIBUTED
MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte plans to speak with China’s ambassador about China’s latest foray into the Western Philippine Sea, Malacañang said Tuesday, after Manila filed a diplomatic protest over the presence of more than 200 Chinese vessels. on Julian Felipe Reef in the disputed waters.
“I will repeat what the president said yesterday. He will speak with the Chinese ambassador on this matter. And he said there is nothing that cannot be discussed among friends, “said presidential spokesman Harry Roque.
He did not say when the talks would take place.
Duterte has been befriending Beijing and has refused to enforce the international arbitral tribunal’s ruling that invalidated China’s extensive claims over the South China Sea, including the 375-kilometer exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Philippines. China has ignored the ruling and insisted on its “historic” claims on the strategic waterway.
The army said there were still 183 vessels believed to belong to China’s maritime militia as of Monday on the reef, which is about 324 km west of Bataraza, the city at the southern tip of Palawan province.
Support from the U.S. Embassy
Also on Tuesday, the US Embassy expressed its support for the Philippines, noting that Beijing “uses the maritime militia to intimidate, provoke and threaten other nations, undermining peace and security in the region.”
“We stand with the Philippines, our oldest treaty ally in Asia,” US embassy spokeswoman Heather Fabrikant said in a statement.
The Chinese embassy previously denied that the boats were operated by China’s maritime militia, saying they were fishing boats seeking refuge near the reef.
He said the reef, which he calls Niu’e Jiao, was part of China’s Nansha Qundao district.
But the US embassy said the ships had been moored in the area “for many months in increasing numbers, regardless of the weather.”
The Philippine government also said the weather was clear by the time the Chinese invaded the reef. The Chinese also did not show actual fishing activities and had their boats’ full white lights on at night, he said.
In a Twitter post, the Chinese Embassy brusquely responded to the US Embassy’s statement, saying that the United States was “not a party to the South China Sea issue.”
LOOKING FOR REFUGE? A break in the clouds on Monday shows some of the nearly 200 Chinese vessels allegedly seeking refuge, according to the Chinese Embassy, at Julian Felipe Reef in the Western Philippine Sea. But the Philippine government and the US embassy say separately that these are Chinese maritime militia ships and that the weather is good. —PICTURE CONTRIBUTED
‘Fan flames’
“Fanning the flames and provoking confrontation in the region will only serve the selfish interests of each (sic) country and undermine regional peace and stability,” the embassy said.
Julian Felipe Reef is a large boomerang-shaped coral reef in the northeast of the Pagkakaisa Banks and Reefs (Union Reefs) and is located within the Philippine EEZ. This means that the country has the exclusive right to exploit or conserve the resources of the area, such as fish, oil and natural gas.
The National Working Group in the Western Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) said the presence of Chinese ships was a cause for concern due to possible overfishing and destruction of the marine environment, and risks to safe shipping.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana had urged the Chinese government to halt the incursion and immediately withdraw the ships, saying it was “a clear provocative action to militarize the area.”
Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, the military chief of staff, said a Western Command maritime air patrol based in the Palawan city of Puerto Princesa reported the continued presence of Chinese vessels on Monday.
Sobejana said AFP and NTF-WPS will jointly evaluate “the best course of action to take” on the Chinese incursion.
“For now, we will continue with our maritime patrol to verify if the number of Chinese vessels in the area would increase or decrease. [in the coming days]”, He added.
—WITH REPORT FROM TINA G. SANTOS
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