Philippines protests China’s presence near Pag-asa

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has lodged another diplomatic protest against China over the continued presence of Chinese vessels within the vicinity of Pag-asa Islands in the West Philippine Sea.

The DFA said the diplomatic protest sent on Friday was “against the incessant deployment, prolonged presence and illegal activities of Chinese maritime assets and fishing vessels in the vicinity of the Pag-asa Islands.”

It also demanded that China withdraw these vessels, stressing that Pag-Asa Islands are an integral part of the Philippines over which it has sovereignty and jurisdiction.

The DFA has been filing protests almost daily since last month when Chinese vessels started swarming around Julian Felipe Reef. This was at least the 84th diplomatic protest the Philippines has filed against China since President Duterte took office in 2016.

Analyzing satellite data, United States-based research company Simularity recently reported the continued presence of hundreds of Chinese ships inside the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Philippines.

Earlier this month, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea also reported that 287 Chinese maritime militia vessels remain scattered all over the West Philippine Sea and the South China Sea, both within and outside the EEZ of the Philippines.

There was no comment from the Chinese embassy as of press time.

Tensions between Manila and Beijing have escalated over the months-long presence of hundreds of Chinese boats in the Philippines’ 200-mile EEZ.

The Philippines says it believes the vessels were manned by militia, while Beijing has said they were fishing boats sheltering from bad weather.

Pag-Asa or Thitu is the biggest of the eight reefs, shoals and islands the Philippines occupies in the Spratly archipelago.

China has built a mini-city with runways, hangars and surface-to-air-missiles in the Zamora (Subi) Reef about 25 km from Pag-Asa.

Acting on a case filed by previous Aquino administration in 2013, the Permanent Court of Arbitration based in The Hague invalidated China’s expansive claim in the South China Sea, where about $3 trillion worth of ship-borne trade passes annually.

Aside from the Philippines and China, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam also have competing claims to various islands and features in the area.

Duterte shelved the favorable ruling and pursued a rapprochement with Beijing in exchange for pledges of billions of dollars of loans, aid and investment, much of which are still pending.