Though newly- proclaimed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. vowed to protect the Philippines rights over its territorial waters (as affirmed by the Hague arbitral), he said this can be done by talking with a firm voice to China. This, even after three documented cases of dangerously close “shadowing” by China Coast Guard over Philippine research vessels and fishermen.
It was music to the ear hearing a newly- proclaimed president talking about his first foreign policy as “asserting the Hague ruling” on the Philippines-China row over the West Philippine Sea of July 7, 2015. He said that on May 27 (today).
“Our sovereignty is sacred and we will not compromise it in any way,” newly- proclaimed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said at his press briefing with select local media (supportive of his campaign) a day after he was proclaimed by Congress as the successor of President Duterte.
But on Thursday he echoed the stance of his predecessor, the outgoing president about “not going to war with China, which is the last thing we need right now.”
"We talk to China consistently with a firm voice. We cannot go to war so we have to continue to discuss with them the conflicting claims that we have with China and that China has with other members of the ASEAN," Marcos said in an interview with select local media.
But what is there to talk about when there is a ruling favoring the Philippines on its right over the West Philippine Sea and China continuing to assert its ownership over the territorial waters with its own version of (a non-existent) nine-dash line to prove its point.
Meantime, China continues its bullying of and barring Filipino fishermen from fishing in the area and threatening official research vessels of the Philippine government (or its partners) to do geological surveys for plate movements and tectonic activities.
I don’t see what firm voice would make China listen because it is adamant to grab the entire (richly endowed) marine territories for itself even if it encroaches or invades our own exclusive economic zone.
Hague ruling
In 2016, the United Nations-backed PCA (permanent court of arbitration) in The Hague invalidated Beijing’s claim to almost the entire South China Sea but the Asian superpower has not recognized the ruling.
Marcos made a bold declaration saying he would not “allow a single millimeter of our maritime coastal rights to be trampled upon.”
“We have a very important ruling in our favor and we will use it to continue to assert our territorial rights. It is not a claim. It is already our territorial right,” he said.
“We’re talking about China and how do we do that? We talk to China consistently with a firm voice,” he added.
Not a claim but right
Last February, Marcos said he would seek the help of Southeast Asian nations and the United Nations to resolve territorial disputes in the South China Sea. He also said he would push for the completion of the code of conduct in the South China Sea between the Asean and Beijing.
Marcos’ statement brought delight to former Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario on Thursday that he would uphold the PCA ruling.
“We are deeply thankful that President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared what Filipinos would like to hear: that the 2016 arbitral ruling is not a claim but already a right; that our sovereignty is ‘sacred’ and that he would not ‘allow a single millimeter of our maritime coastal rights to be trampled upon’,” said Del Rosario in a statement.
Del Rosario, who led the arbitration team in challenging China’s claim to nearly the entire South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea, in The Hague tribunal, said it was his “fervent hope” that Marcos would abide by his words to protect the West Philippine Sea for the benefit of the Filipinos.
The country’s former top diplomat said that while war had never been an option for the Philippines, the President has various ways to fulfill his sacred duty to the Filipino people, including elevating the matter to the UN General Assembly and other international fora, and consolidating the support of other countries which believe in the arbitral ruling and the rule of law.
‘Parroting China’s mantra’
Policy experts have criticized the late dictator’s son for allegedly parroting China’s mantra in its sea dispute with the Philippines. They expect Marcos to continue Duterte’s pivot to China, which had been made in exchange of investment pledges.
Marcos said he mentioned during his call with Chinese President Xi Jinping (who congratulated him for winning the elections) that he would “continue to pursue bilateral contact and communications with China. I immediately said we have to continue to talk about this, this cannot be allowed to fester and to become more severe in terms of a problem between our two countries.”
Independent foreign policy
Marcos, just like Duterte, vowed to implement an independent foreign policy in the next six years.
We are a small player amongst very large giants in terms of geopolitics so we have to fly on our own wings,” he said. “I think that we have to be just fine with an independent foreign policy where we are friends with everyone.”
He said the US has been increasing its presence in the Indo-Pacific region because it sees the South China Sea as a critical shipping route.
“The Americans now have a very strong global interest, strategic interest in the region with the rise of China and their view that the [South China Sea] is a critical part of the trade routes.”
He vowed to honor a United Nations-backed arbitral ruling that invalidated China’s claim to more than 80 percent of the waterway. “We have a very important ruling in our favor and we will use it to continue to assert our territorial rights,” he said. “It is not a claim. It is already our territorial right.”
China has said it would continue bilateral relations with the Philippines as the country transitions to a new government.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said his country would stay committed to the friendship of both nations, focus on post-pandemic growth, expand cooperation and bring more tangible benefits to both parties.
The South China Sea, a key global shipping route, is subject to overlapping territorial claims involving China, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. Each year, trillions of dollars of trade flow through the sea, which is also rich in fish and gas.
Last April, the Department of Energy suspended oil exploration activities in the South China Sea, a month after Duterte said he had received a warning from China after word spread that some companies had plans in the Reed Bank, locally known as Recto Bank.
Service Contracts (SC) 72 and 75 were put on hold. The Sampaguita gas field is within SC 72 or the Recto Bank basin concession.
The Security, Justice and Peace Coordinating Cluster has considered the political, diplomatic and national security implications of any activity in the South China Sea, DoE said.
Duterte earlier said he was reminded by someone from China to honor their joint exploration agreement if the Philippines did not want to suffer the consequences.
3 showdowns between Chinese ships and Phl research vessels
Washington-based Asia Maritime Transparency Initative (AMTI) meantime reported three separate rounds of Chinese coast guard and militia harassing research vessels in the Philippines EEZ.
"Beijing giving the Marcos admin a preview of what it can expect," AMTI Director Gregory Poling said on Twitter.
While the Philippines has ramped up its patrols in the West Philippine Sea, AMTI noted that "it remains to be seen how forcefully the Philippines will continue to assert those rights" as the Marcos administration takes over in June.
"All three incidents demonstrate Beijing’s determination to control maritime activity within the nine-dash line, and to create a high risk of collisions at sea to do so," the think tank reported.
AMTI said the first involved Legend, belonging to the Taiwan Ocean Research Institute in cooperation with the University of the Philippines, which set sail on March 13 to conduct research in the Philippines as part of the Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy.
On March 23, China Coast Guard (CCG) 5203 left Panganiban (Mischief) Reef and started shadowing the Legend as it continues its research 60 nautical miles northwest of Luzon.Taiwan had to deploy its own coast guard vessels CG 5001 Chiayi, CG 117 Taichung and CG 120 Kaohsiung to keep the Chinese coast guard ship away from Legend.
On April 6, Philippine Coast Guard patrol vessel BRP Capones accompanied the Legend as it moved 70 nautical miles west of Luzon. Based on date from Marine Traffic, CCG returned the same night to shadow the Taiwanese vessel as Capones provides protection.
"The game of cat and mouse ended on April 9 when the Legend returned to Taiwan," AMTI reported.
The second is survey ship Geo Cora, supply ship Mariska G on April 4 which were shadowed by CCG 4201 as they arrived in Block SC 75 about 60 nautical miles off Palawan, AMTI said, citing Automatic Identification System (AIS) data. Geo Coral and Mariska G were conducting 3D seismic surveys in SC 75 as earlier announced by PXP Energy.
"The 4201 closely followed the two vessels for the next two days until, on April 6, the Philippines’ Department of Energy ordered PXP Energy to “put on hold all exploration activities for SC 75 and SC 72 until such time that the SJPCC [Security, Justice and Peace Coordinating Cluster, part of the president’s Cabinet] has issued the necessary clearance to proceed,'" AMTi said.
And then the m/v DA-BFAR-BRP Cape Engano, a research vessel operated by the Bureau of Fisheries which approached Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal on April 21, which caught the attention of CCG5304. Citing AIS data, AMTI reported that the Chinese coast guard ship pursued the DA BFAR "at extremely close distances, coming as close as 100 meters in multiple instances."
Another Chinese coast guard ship CCG 5303 and two militia vessels Qiong Sansha Yu 00401 and Qiong Sansha Yu 00105 also came close as CCG 5304 followed DA BFAR, later forcing the Philippine research vessel to retreat.
Meanwhile, CCG 5303 and Qiong Sansha Yu 00105 also shadowed PCG patrol vessel BRP Cape Engaño as it approached Ayungin Shoal.
As the three vessels stopped 6 nautical miles from the shoal, three more Chinese militia vessels approached the area.
"The vessels all maintained their positions for several hours before the Cape Engaño turned back eastward, encouraged by the approaching 5303, which tailed it until it left the area heading northwest toward unoccupied Whitsun Reef," AMTI said.
Such close shadowing by CCG are all acts of harassment, deprivation of the Philippines’ rights over its own waters, and provocation, maritime experts said.
Experts refute war fears
While Duterte has been insisting that invoking the Philippines' sovereignty and sovereign rights on the West Philippine Sea would entail going to war with China, this has already been rejected by academic experts.
In a joint statement issued April 2021, a group of college and university professors rejected Duterte's argument that asserting sovereignty constitutes a declaration of war.
Retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, part of the Philippine delegation at the UNCLOS-backed arbitration, earlier enumerated ways on how to assert Manila's arbitral win without going to war.
These include withdrawing authorization for Chinese fishermen to fish in Philippine exclusive economic zone, retracting Duterte's statement that China is in possession of the West Philippine Sea, joining freedom of navigation exercises, and conducting joint patrols with other ASEAN coastal states.
Tags: #Philippines, #ChinaCoastGuard, #bullyingandshadowing, #WestPhilippineSea, #geopolitics