PH belies China’s ‘seizure’ of Sandy Cay

VISITING THE SANDBARS A “composite team,” one of four that the Philippine military deployed to Sandy Cay, occupies one of its sandbars on Sunday, following China’s claim that it had seized those features. The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS), which supplied the photo, also said on Sunday the composite teams had reached Cay 1, Cay 2 and Cay 3 of Sandy Cay. But Chinese ships were seen in the distance, according to the task force. —NTF WPS

There was no Chinese seizure of Sandy Cay near Pag-asa (Thitu) Island in the West Philippine Sea, contrary to China state media reports that it had taken over the sandbars, security officials said on Monday, accusing Beijing of “trying to shape the narrative” amid ongoing security and political developments in the country.

Philippine forces from the Navy, Coast Guard and maritime police were deployed to inspect the sandbars on Sunday and verify reports that China had seized Sandy Cay, a string of sandbars near Pag-asa Island that emerged only in recent years and are part of Pag-asa’s 22-kilometer territorial sea.

“There is no proof whatsoever to the claim of the Chinese coast guard that the Pag-asa cays have been seized. The facts on the ground do not support this statement coming from the Chinese coast guard,” National Security Council Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya said in a joint press briefing.

Filipino personnel from the inter-agency maritime operation also took photos and videos of themselves landing on the sandbars and holding a Philippine flag to show that there were no signs that China had permanently occupied the feature.

China claims nearly entirely the South China Sea and has overlapping claims with most of its Southeast Asian neighbors, including the Philippines.

Chinese state media earlier reported that its coast guard “implemented maritime control” over one of the sandbars, known as Tiexian Reef in Chinese, in the middle of April, with accompanying photos of its troops holding a Chinese flag.

Shaping the narrative

A Chinese coast guard statement described the Philippine landing on Sunday as “illegal.”

During Sunday’s inspection, the Chinese coast guard watched from a distance, Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela said in the same briefing.

China Coast Guard 5102 was spotted 1,000 yards east of Cay 2, while seven Chinese maritime militia vessels were sighted near Cay 3.

“It is not the benefit of any nation if these things are happening, nor is it the benefit of any nation if such irresponsible announcements and statements are released to the public and to the world,” Malaya said.

The latest dispute between the Philippines and China came amid the ongoing “Balikatan” exercises, the biggest joint military drills between the Philippines and the United States, and allegations of Chinese interference in the coming midterm elections.

Reports of Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong conducting flight operations within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone following the start of the Balikatan, Chinese underwater drones capable of “underwater warfare” found by fishermen in Philippine waters, and allegations of espionage on both sides, have also recently put to test the bilateral relations of the two countries.

‘Malign influence’

“If you look at different instruments of national power across the political, economic, sociocultural and technoscientific, there have been incidents of malign influence in the information domain,” Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad said.

Malaya said it was not entirely clear to them what the Chinese motives were but he said the government would push back “and we will not allow falsehood to remain unanswered.”

“It’s really a matter of trying to dominate the information narratives coming from various sources. So, it is to the interest of [China] if they are able to utilize the information space to intimidate and harass,” he added.

Malacañang press officer Claire Castro said President Marcos remains committed to asserting the Philippines’ sovereign rights over the country’s territory in the West Philippine Sea that is being claimed by China.

“We can expect the unwavering dedication of President Marcos to fight for our rights in our territory, in our maritime rights, especially here in the West Philippine Sea,” she said.

“And we will continue to protect all the rights of the country in accordance with international law, but with the assurance that this is for peace and stability,” Castro added. —WITH REPORTS FROM MELVIN GASCON AND AP