YEARENDER: DFA grapples with China crisis, Ebola

MANILA, Philippines - Contesting China’s expansive claims in the West Philippine was the focus of Manila’s diplomatic initiatives in 2014.

In March, the Philippines brought its case before an international court by submitting a nearly 4,000-page memorial or written argument of its position to the United Nations arbitral tribunal in The Hague.

The Philippines’ move caught Beijing off guard as the latter was insisting that the issue be resolved bilaterally. The European Union, the United States and many other countries have expressed support for Manila’s initiative.

China made it clear it was not participating in the arbitration process. It ignored a Dec. 15 deadline set by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague for the submission of a counter memorial.

Before Manila’s filing of memorial, the Department of Foreign Affairs filed numerous protests with the Chinese embassy over harassment of Filipino fishermen by Chinese vessels in Philippine waters.

In February, for instance, Chinese vessels fired water cannons at Filipino fishermen at Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal now under virtual occupation by Beijing.

Chinese coast guard vessels also drove away two Philippine ships from Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal, guarded by a handful of Filipino Marines stationed on the grounded BRP Sierra Madre.

The US would later express concern over China’s preventing two Filipino civilian vessels from delivering supplies and provisions to the Ayungin Shoal outpost.

“The Philippines has maintained a presence at Second Thomas Shoal since 1999, as other claimants have maintained a presence elsewhere in the South China Sea,” US embassy Charge d’Affaires Brian Goldbeck said.

In June, the Philippines blasted China for publishing a new map, saying it shows Beijing’s unreasonably expansive claim in the South China Sea.

The Philippines also lodged a diplomatic protest against China’s reclamation in McKennan (Hughes) Reef and on Mabini (Johnson South) Reef.

The Philippines also protested the constant presence and “sovereignty patrols” by Chinese vessels in the Recto (Reed) Bank.

China announced in July that a new law giving its military more power in preventing “intrusions” into restricted waters would take effect the following month.

This prompted the US to call on claimants in the South China to agree to voluntarily “freeze” certain actions and activities in the disputed waters.

As harassment of Filipino vessels by Chinese ships continued, President Obama declared during a visit to Manila in April that the US commitment to come to the defense of the Philippines was “iron clad.”

Calls for restraint

In April, the new Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua admitted the maritime dispute has adversely affected China’s overall bilateral relations with the Philippines, as he called Manila’s handling of the issue “exaggerated” and “sensationalized.”

He downplayed threats posed by Chinese activities and reclamation projects in the disputed waters, saying “the overall situation in the South China Sea is stable and there is no problem with freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.”

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario stressed relations with China could still improve without the Philippines sacrificing its position.

He said China should respect its neighbors and that its relations with the Philippines or with the other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) should not solely be measured by the extent of projects it was implementing with the regional bloc.

At the ASEAN-China Ministerial Meeting held at Naypyitaw, Myanmar in August, Del Rosario acknowledged the continuing development of ASEAN-China relations across various fields.