The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced it will issue a formal diplomatic protest against China after its State Council approved the establishment of the so-called “Huangyan Island National Nature Reserve” in Bajo de Masinloc.
In a statement released Thursday, the DFA emphasized that the Philippines also has the exclusive authority to establish environmental protection areas over its territory and relevant maritime zones.
“The Philippines strongly protests the recent approval by the State Council of China of the establishment of the so-called ‘Huangyan Island National Nature Reserve.’ Bajo de Masinloc is a longstanding and integral part of the Philippines over which it has sovereignty and jurisdiction,” the DFA said.
The DFA also urged China to respect the Philippines’ sovereignty and jurisdiction over Bajo de Masinloc and comply with its obligations under international law.
“The Philippines urges China to respect the sovereignty and jurisdiction of the Philippines over Bajo de Masinloc, refrain from enforcing and immediately withdraw its State Council issuance, and comply with its obligations under international law, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the final and binding 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award, and the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC),” it added.
On Wednesday, the Chinese government announced its approval for the establishment of a national nature reserve at the disputed Scarborough Shoal, which is located within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone.
The move is seen as another attempt by Beijing to strengthen its territorial claims over practically the entirety of the South China Sea.
Scarborough Shoal lies 240 kilometers (150 miles) west of the Philippines’ main island of Luzon and nearly 900 kilometres from Hainan, the nearest major Chinese land mass.
Last month, a Chinese navy vessel collided with one from its own coast guard while chasing a Philippine patrol boat near Scarborough, with Manila releasing dramatic video footage of the confrontation.
And in May, the Philippines slammed what it termed a “high-risk” manoeuvre by a Chinese vessel in the same area. China responded by accusing Manila of sending a ship to “intrude” into its territorial waters.
China claims almost the entirety of the South China Sea, through which more than 60 percent of global maritime trade passes, despite a 2016 court ruling that said its claims had no basis in international law.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment. —With Agence France Presse
