China asks Philippines to stop activities, exercises in West Philippine Sea

MANILA, Philippines — China reasserted its claim of sovereignty over islets and land features in the West Philippine Sea and asked Manila to stop its activities in the resource-rich waters.

“China enjoys sovereignty over Nansha (Spratly) Islands including Zhongye (Pag-Asa) Island and Zhongsha Islands, including Huangyan Island (Panatag Shoal) and their adjacent waters, and exercises jurisdiction in relevant waters,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a regular press conference on Monday.

Wang’s statement was in response to a question on what China thinks of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) conducting drills in the West Philippine Sea.

“We urge the relevant side to respect China’s sovereignty and rights and interests, and stop actions complicating the situation and escalating disputes,” Wang added.

The Department of National Defense (DND) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) have yet to comment on China’s latest statement.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and the military have been firm in asserting the country’s rights over islands and other land features situated within the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), including Julian Felipe Reef around which hundreds of Chinese vessels have been swarming since March.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has filed several diplomatic protests questioning the presence of the Chinese vessels and demanding their pullout from the West Philippine Sea.

China’s activities have drawn widespread condemnation, including from the Senate.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros said the Senate resolution condemning China’s intrusions should give a strong signal to the Filipino people that senators are partners in the fight against Chinese intervention.

Malacañang said it respects the decision of some senators to condemn China’s actions in the West Philippine Sea but stands by President Duterte’s decision to forge warmer ties with Beijing.

“You know, that’s why we have what we call executive privilege. It is important for the President to make the right decision even if it is not a popular decision,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque said.

“The President no longer needs to mount election campaigns so he will do what he thinks is best for the country,” he added.

The other signatories to Resolution 708 are Senate Minority Leader Frank Drilon, Sens. Leila de Lima, Ralph Recto, Nancy Binay, Richard Gordon, Francis Pangilinan, Lito Lapid, Grace Poe, Bong Revilla and Joel Villanueva.

“I am one with my colleagues in the Senate in condemning, in the strongest possible terms, China’s incessant activities in the West Philippine Sea. We are united in our call for China to uphold the rule of law and to respect our country’s sovereignty. This resolution will give a strong signal to the Filipino people that we are your partners in the fight against Chinese intervention,” Hontiveros said.

PSR 708 also reminded China that its activities are in violation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2016 award by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in favor of the Philippines. China’s refusing to play by international rules “must be firmly resisted and denounced.”

The resolution also states that “neither close diplomatic and political ties nor promise of donations, aids or loans, whether they actually materialize or not, should be mistaken as acceptance of China’s creeping hegemony over our region and country.”

Hontiveros also emphasized she is heartened by statements denouncing China’s provocation issued by numerous organizations including fisherfolk groups from affected provinces, the Philippine Military Academy Alumni Association, the PMA Retirees Association and business groups, among others.

Hontiveros added that the European Union, the United States, Canada, Australia as well as Southeast Asian countries like Vietnam and Indonesia have pushed back against China’s recent actions in the South China Sea.

“Our voices are getting louder and stronger. We must keep asserting our victory at The Hague; we must keep making China accountable for her actions; we must keep defending our sovereignty and we must keep protecting the Filipino people. The more that we consistently amplify our voices, the more that China will be forced to finally rethink her actions,” Hontiveros said.

Hontiveros had previously called for China to pay over P800 billion in reparations for environmental and economic damage it caused in the West Philippine Sea.

“We cannot shirk our collective responsibility to defend the Philippines. China’s overreaching ambitions should never be at the expense of any country, and therefore, her moves that endanger any nation should be blocked at every turn. We are not alone, so let’s stand together in China,” she said. – Alexis Romero, Cecille Suerte-Felipe