THE government should continue to monitor China’s activities in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) and pressure Beijing to remove all vessels from the Julian Felipe Reef, university professor Jay Batongbacal said.
He said continuous publication of photos of China’s illegal activities has put it in a bad light and drawn reactions from other countries such as the United States and Japan.
“Na play-up ng konti at pinapakita sa mundo kung ano ‘yung manuever na ginagawa nila don na nakakabahala. Dahil do’n nakatuon din ang atensyon ng maraming bansa doon sa lugar (WPS). Nakita natin naglabas agad ng statement ang ibang bansa kagaya ng US (United States), at ang Japan at iba pa expressing support for our position,” Batongbacal said in a television interview.
He said the US nor Japan could not intervene, but may provide diplomatic support to the Philippines.
Batongbacal, who is the director of the University of the Philippines Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, said parking vessels in an area is among China's tactics in an attempt to seize a territory.
However, he said China could not afford to spark a war with the Philippines in order to seize the WPS.
“Magiging disadvantageous sa kanila pag nangyari yun, magiging involved kasi ‘yung mga external powers sigurado po yun lalo na kung Pilipinas ang kanyang gigerahin, matatakot ang China na pag nangyari yun ay makapasok ang US at maki-giyera nga at pag nangyari yun ay sila din ang tatamaan,” said Batongbacal.
“Dahil sa proportion ng trade na dumadaan sa South China Sea mga 40 percent ay sa China nagpupunta, so ‘yung kanilang import at export at nagdadaan dyan so madi-diskaril ‘yung kanilang ekonomiya pag nangyari yan,” he added.
The Philippine Coast Guard spotted around 220 Chinese vessels near the Julian Felipe Reef, a coral reef within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, on March 7.
On March 20, the National Task Force for WPS said the vessels were believed to be manned by Chinese maritime militia.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on Saturday, April 3, that 44 vessels remained. He called on China to immediately remove the vessels.
The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines, however, insisted that the vessels are not manned by maritime militia.
It referred to the Julian Felipe Red as the Niu’e Jiao, which it said is a part of their Nansha Qundao. (Third Anne Peralta-Malonzo / SunStar Philippines)