US, EU back PH protest over Chinese ‘reserve’
The European Union (EU) supported the Philippines’ rejection of China’s announced plan to build a “nature reserve” in the West Philippine Sea, only hours after the United States deplored Beijing’s “coercive attempt” to further destabilize the region.
In a statement on Saturday, the EU delegation in Manila conveyed its support to the Philippines’ maritime entitlements in Scarborough Shoal and called out China for taking unilateral actions that may “alter the status quo” in the area.
“The EU stands in support of Philippine maritime entitlements and sovereign rights under international law, as upheld by the Arbitral Tribunal in 2016,” the EU statement read.
“We urge all parties to respect the 2016 Arbitration Award and [the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea],” it said.
“Disputes should be resolved peacefully and any attempt to alter the status quo in disputed waters by unilateral action must be avoided,” the EU added.
The EU issued the statement only hours after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday (Saturday in Manila) deplored that the plan for a “nature reserve” was part of China’s “coercive” strategy in the South China Sea.
“The US stands with our Philippine ally in rejecting China’s destabilizing plans to establish a ‘national nature reserve’ at Scarborough Reef,” Rubio posted on X.
“This is yet another coercive attempt to advance China’s interests at the expense of its neighbors and regional stability,” Rubio added.
On Saturday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said it filed a “strong, unequivocal” protest against China’s nature reserve. According to DFA spokesperson Angelica Escalona, the protest was filed on Friday.
National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said China’s plan was less about environmental protection and more about justifying control over, while the DFA said the Philippines has sovereignty and jurisdiction over the shoal, which is a “longstanding and integral part” of the Philippines.
Unlucky prophecy
Maritime lawyer Jay Batongbacal, director of the University of the Philippines Institute for Maritime Affairs & Law of the Sea, made the same assertion way back in 2021.
The lawyer said the “policy of appeasement” toward Beijing of the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte may seriously damage the country’s rights and entitlements in the West Philippine Sea.
Worse, China’s move, if unchallenged, could lead to more aggressive tactics, including the arrest of Filipino fishermen, in South China Sea, which sees more than $3 trillion in annual shipborne commerce.
The reef’s northeast rim, where China intends to impose environmental restrictions, is the same area most commonly accessed by Filipino fishermen because it is sheltered from currents and waves, Batongbacal said.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea as outlined on maps by the “nine-dash line,” which cuts into parts of the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
On July 12, 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruled that Manila has exclusive sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea.
The court also declared China’s “nine-dash line” as “invalid.”
“Having found that certain areas are within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines, the Tribunal found that China had violated the Philippines’ sovereign rights in its exclusive economic zone by (a) interfering with Philippine fishing and petroleum exploration, (b) constructing artificial islands and (c) failing to prevent Chinese fishermen from fishing in the zone,” the tribunal said in the decision in 2016.
The PCA issued the ruling after several months of hearings and document submissions, which China refused to attend. Beijing continues to reject the arbitral decision. —WITH A REPORT FROM PNA
