Will Beijing take kindly to all these Philippine initiatives? We don’t think so
How do you think China will respond to the Senate resolution strongly condemning its continued harassment of our Coast Guard and fishermen in the West Philippine Sea by their Coast Guard and militia vessels?
Senate Resolution 718, principally authored by Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and Sen. Risa Hontiveros, urges the Philippine government to take appropriate action in “asserting and securing the Philippines’ sovereign rights over its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.”
The resolution is the end-result of consultations by senators with officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) led by Secretary Enrique Manalo and the Armed Forces of the Philippines headed by Chief of Staff Romeo Brawner .
Earlier, the two senators filed Resolution 659 urging the DFA to sponsor a resolution before the United Nations General Assembly, calling on China to stop its harassment of Philippine vessels in the WPS.
Resolution 718 slams China’s continued incursions in the WPS as illegal, as it violates the 2016 landmark ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
The lawmakers agreed there is “no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources within the sea areas falling within the nine-dash line” and that Beijing’s claims ran contrary to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
“Rather than comply with the decision, the Chinese government has instead chosen to ramp up its harassment of Philippine vessels, including those of the country’s fisherfolk, navy, and coast guard, thus undermining peace and stability in the region,” the resolution read.
“In clear violation of the Arbitral Award, China has built artificial islands in various parts of the WPS – fortified with airstrips, military installations, hardware, and equipment-and has militarized at least three of those artificial islands, arming them with anti-ship and anti-aircraft missile systems, laser and jamming equipment and fighter jets,” it added.
The resolution also noted that in the past two months, the Philippine Coast Guard and military noted the “increased presence of Chinese vessels and maritime militia swarming the Recto Bank and Scarborough Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc.”
“If we have not manifested our position, then it is as if China had succeeded in muzzling the Philippine Senate, ” the senators said.
What, then, should the Philippine government do to address China’s incursions in the WPS aside from holding dialogues with the Chinese government?
One, bring international attention to China’s harassment of Filipino fishermen in the Philippine EEZ and its continued violation of the Hague Ruling and the UNCLOS.
Two, use international fora to rally multilateral support for the enforcement of the Hague Ruling and raise awareness on the real situation in the West Philippine Sea.
Three, engage like-minded countries in various international organizations, meetings, and other fora to urge China to respect the Hague Ruling and the UNCLOS.
Four, file a Resolution before the United Nations General Assembly calling for the cessation of all activities that harass Philippine vessels and violate the Philippines’ established rights in the West Philippine Sea.
And five, pursue other diplomatic modes as the Department of
Foreign Affairs may deem appropriate and necessary.
In fact, the DFA is already expanding ties with Vietnam, including security cooperation.
Last week, Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo went on an official visit to Vietnam for the 10th Philippine-Vietnam Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation where the two countries discussed areas of cooperation such as defense, maritime, economic and people-to-people ties.
In a speech delivered at the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam on Aug. 1, Secretary Manalo said that while Manila and Hanoi had competing claims in the South China Sea, this underscored the need for the two countries to work together.
“Our geographies and status as major littoral and claimant states in the South China Sea make maritime cooperation a vital point of interaction between our two countries, as economic and security partners. As in centuries prior, this body of water connects our peoples, despite some differences,” Manalo said.
From Hanoi, Manalo also visited Vientiane for the 2nd Philippines-
Laos JCBC where the two sides explored ways to expand bilateral ties, including security cooperation.
The JCBC is the primary mechanism for the Philippines to discuss with both Vietnam and Laos possible strengthening of bilateral relations, as well as various regional and global issues.
Will Beijing take kindly to all these Philippine initiatives? We don’t think so.
Perhaps they will even slam these as an affront to their sovereignty.
But we should insist on our legitimate rights under international law, and resolutely resist their use of force to and outright bullying and intimidation to settle the territorial and maritime disputes in the South China Sea.
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