Shoal damage report part of China disinfo drive–DFA exec
China’s latest accusation that the grounding of the BRP Sierra Madre in 1999 caused coral damage and pollution at Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal is just part of the disinformation campaign waged by Beijing in its maritime dispute with Manila.
This was how an official of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) dismissed the “study” recently released by the Chinese Ministry of Natural Resources.
“I think this is all part of the disinformation process that China has always projected,” Foreign Undersecretary Maria Theresa Lazaro said on Friday. “I think there’s so many narratives that can come after that and we just have to be ready.”
“I guess this is something we expect because of the way they move,” Lazaro said at a forum held by the think tank Stratbase ADR Institute to mark the eighth anniversary of the 2016 arbitral ruling that voided China’s sweeping claims in the South China Sea, which Beijing refused to recognize.
At the same forum, retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said that while the decrepit state of the World War II vessel BRP Sierra Madre may have indeed caused marine pollution, it all came to this because of Beijing’s conduct in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), the parts of the South China Sea covered by the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
If repairs were allowed
“If China will allow us to repair (the ship), stop harassing our supply ships to repair the BRP Sierra Madre, then there would be no pollution at all,” Carpio said.
“What is happening now in Ayungin Shoal with respect to the BRP Sierra Madre, that is admittedly rusting, doesn’t compare at all to what China did in destroying seven atoll reefs to build their artificial islands. Totally incomparable. The arbitral award said China caused irreparable harm to the coral reef system in the Spratlys,” Carpio stressed.
According to a 2022 study by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (Amti), China’s reclamation, dredging, fishing and giant clam harvesting activities have damaged a total of about 19 square kilometers, or 4,648 acres, of coral reefs.
Assurance from allies
Also at the Stratbase event, the Philippines received fresh assurances of support from the United States, Australia and France on the arbitral ruling, which China had refused to recognize.
Australian Ambassador Hae Kyong Yu underscored the importance of a collective and multilateral approach in resolving the maritime conflict.
“Australia is pleased to be enhancing our civil maritime cooperation with the Philippines through our newly signed MOU (memorandum of understanding), including enhanced cooperation between the Australian Border Force and the Philippine Coast Guard,” Yu said.
“As the Australian Ambassador to the Philippines, I can tell you this. You can count on Australia,” Yu said.
For US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson, the 2016 ruling was not just a significant victory for the Philippines but for the international community.
“It memorialized vast maritime areas where all nations enjoy freedom of navigation and overflight under international law, providing the legal foundation for trade, investment and economic activity to thrive in the Indo-Pacific region,” Carlson said.
She also reaffirmed that Washington’s security alliance with Manila remained “ironclad and on hyperdrive.”
Draft PH-France VFA
Meanwhile, French Ambassador Marie Fontanel said the first draft of a visiting forces agreement (VFA) between her country and the Philippines would soon be released.
“They (the negotiators) did not commit to any specific timing, but maybe by September France will be in a position to issue the first draft and possibly start the discussions,” she said.
“The partnership between France and the Philippines, two maritime blue nations of the Pacific region who share the values of democracy, the rule of law, and who promote multilateralism in international law, is stronger and stronger. And you can count on us,” Fontanel said.
