Communist party to US: Keep off Scarborough issue

LA UNION, Philippines -- The Communist Party of the Philippines on Saturday welcomed the apparently peaceful settlement of the Scarborough Shoal issue by President Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping and told the US not to interfere.

Until recently, Filipino fishermen had no access to the Scarborough Shoal, also known as Panatag and Bajo de Masinloc, after a standoff between China and the Philippines in 2012. China has had de facto control of the area, which is within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone under international law.

The CPP congratulated the governments of China and the Philippines for peacefully settling the matter paving the way for the return of Filipino fishermen to their traditional fishing grounds.

"The settlement of the Scarborough issue underscores what can be achieved by asserting national independence, building friendly relations with neighboring countries and opposing outside interference, especially war instigations by the US military," the CPP said in a statement.

The CPP further anticipates further success in the peaceful settlement of other conflicting maritime claims, including those around the Kalayaan Islands, “consistent with the assertions of the Filipino people.”

The basic premise and most urgent condition for the settlement of all conflicting claims should be the demilitarization of the South China Sea to allow all countries to make use of the sea route for international trade, the CPP said.  It is demanding the US military “end all naval patrols including so-called 'freedom of navigation operations' which has no other aim than provoking retaliation.”

The Duterte administration has been working on forging better ties with China and other Asian nations as part of what it calls a new independent foreign policy. He went on a state visit to China this month and announced his "separation" from the US, saying he has aligned with the "ideological flow" of China and Russia.

The Philippines and China have also agreed to hold bilateral talks on its maritime dispute after a July ruling by an arbitration tribunal that China's nine-dash line claim over a large part of the South China Sea has no legal basis. The court, whose ruling China has refused to recognize, also said Scarborough is a traditional fishing ground and China has no basis to keep fishers out.

'US caused security problems in South China Sea'

The CPP also rejected the statement of the US state department that it was still "assessing" reports that China's coast guards are no longer patrolling and preventing the entry of Filipino fishermen.

"In the first place, the US has no standing whatsoever to make any assessment in an area that is part of Philippine maritime territory," the CPP said, adding,  "it is US war-mongering and naval buildup in accordance with its US pivot to encircle China that is at the root of the outstanding security problems in the South China Sea."

The party, which is in peace talks with the government, said the standoff in 2012 started when "the puppet [Benigno] Aquino government sent several naval warships to confront Chinese civilian coast guard ships."

The standoff started when Philippine Navy ship BRP Gregorio Del Pilar attempted to apprehend Chinese boats found with corals, giant clams and live sharks on April 10, 2012. The Del Pilar withdrew on April 12 to defuse tension in the area and was replaced by a Philippine Coast Guard vessel.

Philippine ships from the PCG and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources left the area in June of that year due to bad weather, the Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario said then.