|
Thursday, March 13, 2008
China opposes RP archipelagic baseline bill
MANILA -- China's tight opposition to the bill defining the Philippines' archipelagic baseline boundary has stopped the approval on the measure despite the deadline set by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (Unclos), a congressman said.
Cebu Representative Antonio Cuenco, chairman of the House committee on foreign affairs, said Beijing expressed its objection to House Bill (HB) 3216 in a "note" sent to the Philippine Embassy in Beijing last December.
Arroyo Watch: Sun.Star blog on President Arroyo
"China is shocked by and gravely concerned with this negative development. We request the clarification from the Philippine side," said the letter, which was faxed to Cuenco's office by Philippine Ambassador to China Sonia Brady.
The unsigned note reiterated that China "has undisputable sovereignty over Nansha islands (Kalayaan Group of Islands or KIG) including Scarborough Shoal and its adjacent waters."
It said the passage of the bill, despite the Philippines' signing of the Declaration of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (SCS), "will not only be conducive to the stability in the SCS but also disturb China-Philippine cooperation in the area, exerting negative impact on the healthy development of our bilateral relations."
The bill's approval would not sit well with China amid the forging of the Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JMSU) in the area, which critics said could be the basis to charge President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo with treason, the note added.
Under HB 3216, the country's archipelagic baseline would include KIG and the Scarborough Shoal, which are also being claimed by other countries aside from China.
The Philippines has until May 2009 to inform Unclos of the extent of its archipelagic boundary.
Cuenco, however, said the letter should be taken with a grain of salt because of the absence of an official attribution.
"I think it's a commentary of Beijing. But I don't doubt the authenticity of the document. But if you talk of legal and technical terms, this is just a scrap of paper," he said.
He also disclosed that the Chinese charge d'affairs has also expressed his country's opposition to the bill when he met with him last January.
"It's their way of expressing dissent," Cuenco said, noting that this was just normal for China.
The lawmaker said he would ask the plenary to postpone the passage of the measure on third and final reading until the session's resumption on April 21. Congress is on a Lenten break.
"We need a cooling off period," he said, noting that his committee has already decided to ask the plenary to allow further amendments to the measure.
He added: "We must be very careful with the diplomatic repercussions. We don't want to break our ties. Will we not strain our relations with China? We should be circumspect. It all boils down to judgment call: am I going to adopt a bolder view or a moderate view?"
Cuenco's panel has also decided to cancel its scheduled inquiry into the JMSU on Thursday, saying they have failed to inform the members three days before the hearing as mandated by the rules.
Parañaque Representative Roilo Golez, the principal sponsor of the investigation, said: "It is very clear that there is intervention from the executive department especially on the part of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)."
In a committee hearing last December, the foreign affairs committee opted for the fourth option presented by the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority, which set the baseline territory of the country at 12-mile territorial sea, 24-mile contiguous zone and a 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone.
Sources said the DFA has managed to delay the bill's passage and wants to settle for the second option, which treats disputed territories such as the KIG and Scarborough Shoal as mere "regime islands."
They said the DFA does not want the House version because this would antagonize the Chinese who have been providing loans to the Philippines. China is one of the claimants in the Spratlys. (WV/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Dumaguete. (March 13, 2008 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
|
|
|
[return to top]
[home]
|
|
Ex-Cabinet officials say Arroyo is unfit to be President