‘China must be compelled to follow rules in disputed seas’

MANILA, Philippines – China must be pressured to discuss and adhere to certain rules in the South China Sea as it continues construction of military and other facilities on reclaimed areas in disputed waters, President Aquino said yesterday.

“Hopefully there will be more appeals, a bit of pressure on China, if we could all possibly sit down and come up with a binding code of conduct,” Aquino told reporters after inaugurating a 300-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Davao City.

The Philippines has denounced Chinese test flights to Kagitingan (Fiery Cross) Reef on which Beijing has built an artificial island. If unchallenged, China is likely to impose an “unacceptable” air defense zone over the area.

China landed two test flights on Wednesday or four days after its first landing on the 3,000-meter runway on what used to be a reef in the Spratly Islands.

The Philippines has brought up its case against China’s creeping seizure of almost the entire South China Sea before the international arbitral tribunal based in The Hague.

Asked about a worst-case scenario and the apparent militarization of the disputed areas despite the arbitration case filed by the Philippines against China, the President said, “I suppose we have done everything that we could.”

The President said the Philippines has been pushing for a code of conduct between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and that to his knowledge, the two sides would draw up a binding COC.

“Now, can the arbitration be ignored? You must remember that all countries with claims to these waters seemed to be saying ‘we want to adhere to international law and this is in conformity with international law’,” Aquino said, referring to United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

“How can they ignore (the arbitration) especially when a smooth flow of commerce in the whole world is key to its... growth? It is not possible for its economic activity alone to fuel their growth,” Aquino said.

“So the goodwill of all nations is also important. We are hoping that our Chinese brothers will also be pragmatic, they can see the benefits of having clear entitlements and obligations for everyone,” the President said.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration is expected to make a ruling by the middle of this year.  

Former national security adviser and former Navy officer Roilo Golez said China is definitely flexing its muscle and determined to achieve air superiority in the region.

He said the Philippines should join the United States, Japan and Vietnam in vigorously denouncing China’s test flights over its newly built airfield on Kagitingan.

The Japanese Ministry of Defense, according to Golez, has warned that China’s facilities on Kagitingan Reef would enable the Asian giant to deploy various types of aircraft, including bombers and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), across the region.

“Generally speaking, its ramifications potentially include: China’s improved air power projection capability over the entire South China Sea, enhanced air superiority over the South China Sea, improved ‘anti-access/area-denial’ (A2-AD) capabilities against US military presence and its intervention during contingencies, and possible declaration of the South China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone in the future” Golez said.

In Dagupan City, former interior secretary Rafael Alunan III said the country’s travails at the hands of China were a result of “negligence (that) is costing us a lot.”

Alunan said his European friends liken the Philippines to a “rich bank without fence (as) anybody can just go there and steal.” – With Eva Visperas, Jaime Laude