"It seems clear that there is no intention on the part of the Palace to stand firm on this issue."
In a prime example of gunboat diplomacy, China on Monday denied allegations that maritime militia manned more than 200 Chinese fishing vessels spotted near the Julian Felipe Reef in the West Philippine Sea, and bristled at the “unnecessary irritation” caused by such claims.
The denial issued by the Chinese embassy in Manila was in reaction to a March 20 statement from the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) that it received a confirmed report from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) that about 220 Chinese fishing vessels believed to be manned by Chinese maritime militia personnel were sighted moored in line formation at the Julian Felipe Reef, which is well within the Philippine exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
The task force released photos of the vessels—and an Air Force patrol of the area on March 22 confirmed the presence of the ships.
But in an official statement released on the same day, the Chinese embassy in Manila merely said it took note of statements made by the Philippines on the matter, denied the presence of its maritime militia and described the massing of 220 ships near Julian Felipe Reef (Whitsun reef) as a “normal practice” of fishing vessels.
The embassy referred to Julian Felipe Reef by its Chinese name, and insisted it was part of China’s territory.
It then defended the presence of 220 Chinese vessels moored near reef, saying it was a “normal practice for Chinese fishing vessels” to take shelter due to “rough sea conditions.”
This was in contrast to the government task force monitoring the contested waters, which said “despite clear weather at the time, the Chinese vessels massed at the reef showed no actual fishing activities.”
The US government said it shared concerns over the presence of the 220 Chinese 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 US embassy in Manila said.
The Palace, which in the past has bent over backwards to appease Beijing in the name of better relations, simply said President Duterte would meet with the Chinese ambassador at an unspecified date to discuss the issue.
Since both countries are “close friends,” they can talk everything out, the President’s mouthpiece said.
It was hardly a ringing endorsement of the observations of the Philippine military, but we have learned to scale down our expectations where China is concerned.
We are all for speaking softly and carrying a big stick—but it seems clear that there is no intention on the part of the Palace to stand firm on this issue, even if just to dress down an obnoxious envoy who himself is an unnecessary irritation.