MANILA, Philippines (AP) – The Philippine defense chief on Sunday called for more than 200 Chinese ships, which he said are being led by militias, to leave a South China Sea reef claimed by Manila, saying their presence is a “Provocative action to militarize the area”.
“We call on the Chinese to stop this incursion and to immediately remind us of these ships that violate our maritime rights and enter our sovereign territory,” Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said in a statement, adding that the Philippines will uphold its rights. sovereign.
A government watchdog overseeing the disputed region said about 220 Chinese ships were seen anchored at Whitsun Reef, which Beijing also claims on March 7. He published images of ships side by side in one of the hottest areas of the strategic waterway.
Foreign Minister Teodoro Locsin wrote on Twitter late Sunday that the Philippines has filed a diplomatic protest over the Chinese presence.
The reef, called Manila by Julian Felipe, is a boomerang-shaped, shallow coral region about 324 kilometers west of Bataraza in the western province of Palawan in the Philippines. It is far from the country’s exclusive economic zone, over which the Philippines “enjoys the exclusive right to exploit or conserve any resources,” the surveillance government said.
The large number of Chinese boats is “a concern due to possible overfishing and destruction of the marine environment, as well as risks to the safety of navigation,” he said, although he added that the vessels did not fish when they were seen.
Chinese fishing fleets have long been suspected of being used as maritime militias to help assert Beijing’s territorial claims, although China has downplayed those claims.
Philippine military chief, Lt. General Cirilito Sobejana, said that “the highest priority of the army remains to protect our citizens in the area, especially our fishermen, by increasing maritime patrols.”
Chinese embassy officials did not immediately comment. China, the Philippines and four other governments have been stuck for decades in a tense territorial dispute over resource-rich and busy waterways.
Critics have repeatedly called on President Rodrigo Duterte, who has maintained friendly ties with Beijing since taking office in 2016, because he could not resist China’s aggressive behavior and decided not to immediately demand Chinese compliance with an international ruling. arbitration that invalidated Beijing’s historic claims to practice the entire sea. China has refused to recognize the 2016 ruling, which it called a “prank” and continues to defy.
“When Xi says ‘I’ll fish,’ who can stop him?” Duterte said two years ago while defending his non-confrontational approach, referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“If I send my sailors to drive the Chinese fishermen away, I guarantee that none of them will come home alive,” Duterte said at the time, adding that diplomatic talks with Beijing allowed the Filipinos to return to disputed fishing grounds. The Chinese had previously driven them away.
Duterte sought funds for infrastructure, trade and investment from China, which donated and pledged to deliver more COVID-19 vaccines as the Philippines faces an alarming rise in coronavirus infections.