PHL says Chinese presence at Pag-asa illegal, violation of sovereignty

The presence of Chinese vessels in waters off Pag-asa Island is a violation of Philippine sovereignty and is this illegal, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday.

In a statement, the DFA pointed out that Chinese vessels have been present in large numbers and for sustained and recurring periods "raising questions about their intent as well as concerns over their role in support of coercive objectives."

The department said Pag-asa was a part of the Kalayaan Island Group, which is an integral part of the Philippines over which it has sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction.

"Accordingly, the presence of Chinese vessels near and around Pag-asa and other maritime features in the KIG is illegal," the DFA said.

"Such actions are a clear violation of Philippine sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction, as defined under international law including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea," it added.

Pag-asa Island, a 37-hectare island with an airstrip, commercial communications tower, and power generators, is the largest of the KIG territories claimed by the Philippines and is part of the municipality of Palawan.

About 275 Chinese vessels were spotted near and around the area from January to March this year, according to the Philippine military. China said the vessels are civilian ships, mostly Chinese boats.

“Such actions when not repudiated by the Chinese government are deemed to have been adopted by it,” the DFA said.

The DFA’s latest rebuke against China reflects the department’s serious concerns over China’s aggressive actions in the resource-rich waters. It was also in stark contrast to the previously issued mild statements by the Foreign office on Chinese incursions during the time of former Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, who adopted a friendly stance towards Beijing.

China and five other governments - Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan - have been locked in long-simmering territorial rifts in the South China Sea that analysts feared as Asia’s next potential flashpoint for a major armed conflict. China insists ownership over the waters and its features nearly in its entirety – a claim debunked by an arbitral tribunal court in The Hague, Netherlands in 2016.

The DFA said the presence of Chinese vessels within the KIG, whether military, fishing or other vessels, will continue to be the subject of appropriate action by the Philippines.

“For the record, the Philippines has consistently manifested its position on the Pag-asa Islands and on the KIG, and its objections or concerns over illegal, tension-raising or coercive activities, through diplomatic actions, including notes verbales and in meetings with the Chinese side, including the Philippines-China Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM).

A senior Philippine diplomat told GMA News Online that that the diplomatic protest on China’s massive presence in Pag-Asa was filed last March 29.

At the same time, the DFA call on concerned parties to desist from any action and activity that violates the the ASEAN-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), saying “these generate tension, mistrust and uncertainty, and threatens regional peace and stability.”

The DOC is a non-binding non-aggression pact between the ASEAN and China.

“We cannot emphasize enough the imperative to build and promote mutual trust and confidence, to exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities; and to avoid actions that may further complicate the situation and undermine peace, security and stability in the region,” it said. —Michaela del Callar and Margaret Claire Latug/NB, GMA News