China should immediately withdraw all its fishing vessels and maritime assets out of the West Philippine Sea, the Department of Foreign Affairs said, after the Philippines lodged diplomatic protest over the presence of 220 Chinese militia vessels at Julian Felipe Reef.
The Philippines through the DFA demanded that China should “promptly withdraw its fishing vessels and maritime assets in the vicinity and adjacent waters of relevant features in the Kalayaan Group of Islands in the West Philippine Sea, and to direct its fishing vessels to desist from environmentally destructive activities.”
“The Philippines has been assiduously protesting the illegal and lingering (swarming) presence of Chinese fishing vessels and maritime assets in the said areas,” the DFA said in a statement.
This developed as President Duterte will meet with China’s ambassador to discuss the presence of the Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea, Malacanag said Tuesday.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said since both countries are “close friends,” they can talk everything out—but did not say when the meeting would take place.
“I will repeat what the President earlier said. He will talk to Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian about the issue,” Roque said.
Roque expressed confidence that the President can find ways to resolve the issue between two nations owing to their friendship.
However, the DFA insisted that the reef lies within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
The United States backed the Philippines diplomatic action against China over the presence of the Chinese boats.
“We stand with the Philippines, our oldest treaty ally in Asia,” the US Embassy in Manila said, in a statement.
The US government said it shared concerns over the presence of the militia vessels in the West Philippine Sea, noting that such vessels have been mooring in the area “for many months in increasing numbers, regardless of the weather.”
“We share the concerns of our Philippine allies. The [People’s Republic of China] uses maritime militia to intimidate, provoke, and threaten other nations, which undermines peace and security in the region,” the embassy said.
Over 180 Chinese ships have remained moored even after the Philippines protested their presence in the Julian Felipe Reef, which is just 175 nautical miles west of Bataraza, Palawan.
“We reiterate that the continued deployment, lingering presence and activities of Chinese vessels in Philippine maritime zones blatantly infringe upon Philippine sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction,” the DFA stressed.
“China’s continuing infringements and tolerance thereof, notwithstanding the persistent and resolute protests of the government of the Republic of the Philippines, are contrary to China’s commitments under international law and the ASEAN-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea,” it said.
The Philippine government also called on China to “faithfully honor” its obligations as a State Party to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and to “respect and abide by the final and binding” 2016 arbitral award on the South China Sea.
The vessels believed to be manned by Chinese maritime militia, were spotted at the Julian Felipe Reef, which is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), prompting Manila to fire off a diplomatic protest to China.
The Philippine Coast Guard earlier reported that about 220 maritime militia vessels were anchored in a line off one of the atoll's reefs on March 7.
“Despite clear weather at the time, the Chinese vessels massed at the reef showed no actual fishing activities and had their full white lights turned on during nighttime,” the Philippines' National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) said in a statement.
The Chinese have denied the presence of maritime militia but said Chinese fishing boats had sheltered in the area.
The Julian Felipe Reef is a large boomerang shaped shallow coral reef at the northeast of Pagkakaisa Banks and Reefs (Union Reefs), located about 175 nautical miles west of Bataraza, Palawan. It is within the Philippines’ EEZ and its continental shelf.
The Chinese statement maintained that China owned the reef in question.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has already called on China to “stop this incursion and immediately recall these boats violating our maritime rights and encroaching into our sovereign territory.”
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said some 183 vessels believed to be Chinese maritime militia remained in the area and were spotted by an air patrol Monday.
“We sighted around 183 vessels believed to be CMM," said Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, AFP chief, in a message to reporters Monday night.
The information came from the AFP's Western Command, based in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, after it deployed a fixed-wing aircraft to fly over the area around 8:40 a.m. on Monday and completed its patrol at 11:30 a.m.
Sobejana added that the AFP and the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF WPS) are assessing the best course of action.
“The AFP's mandate is to secure the country's territories so we really oppose any act of incursion in our territorial waters, including our exclusive economic zone, but on the other hand, NTF WPS takes into consideration other means, so we are jointly assessing the situation and we will decide what is the best course of action for the area," Sobejana added.
For now, he said the AFP's maritime patrols will continue to determine if the Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea are increasing or decreasing.
Earlier, the NTF WPS expressed concern about a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) report that around 220 Chinese fishing vessels, believed to be manned by Chinese maritime militia personnel, were sighted in line formation at the Julian Felipe Reef on March 7.
“The NTF WPS notes this circumstance as a concern due to the possible overfishing and destruction of the marine environment, as well as risks to the safety of navigation,” the NTF WPS said.