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| Scarborough Shoal claimed by China and the Philippines |
The Chinese government continues its effort of showing its might by sending more ships to the disputed Scarborough Shoal. In the initial standoff, some of the
Chinese ships were withdrawn from the disputed island but recently send their most advanced maritime law enforcement ship. The Philipine military also reported that at least 6 ships were sent by China to boost their presence in the
Scarborough Shoal. On the other hand, the Philippines only had one ship the BRP EDSA II, a search and rescue ship lacking the surveilance and firepower capabilities.
The presence of BRP EDSA II in the Panatag shoal shows the Philippines' strong resistance on the incursion of the Chinese in the Philippine waters. Secretary Albert del Rosario encourage other ASEAN nations to take a stand on the issue. He told the media a few days ago that the claims of China is baseless. "I think since the freedom of navigation and unimpeded commerce in the West Philippine Sea are of great importance to many nations, all should consider what China is endeavoring to do in the Panatag Shoal in order to pursue its so-called full sovereign rights over the entire
West Philippine Sea on the basis of their
9-dash claim using a historical record that is clearly baseless,” the Foreign Affairs Secretary said.
Philippine Taking the Issue to ITCLOS
The country will seek the help of the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (
ITLOS) to help settle the dispute. However, China warned the Philippines not to internationalise the issue and urged the country to settle it through bilateral talks. China doesn't want the United Nations Tribunal to handle the dispute in the Spratlys Islands.
China has no Basis in Claiming the Scarborough Shoal
According to veteran journalist based in China, the Chinese government instills in their people that the entire
South China Sea belongs to them. The rage is also intense in their homeland whenever a country such as the Philippines claims ownership on some of the areas in the South China Sea. But the Chinese government lacks the necessary documents to back up their ownership. According to experts, China do not have enough evidences to prove their claim in the South China Sea particularly in the Scarborough Shoal or in the
Panatag Shoal.
A leak information from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a local Chinese scholar showed that the country has no enough basis in claiming the disputed area. Though it is being thought in Chinese schools, they could not find historical evidences that they have sovereignty in the disputed islands particularly the
Huangyan Islands. Further, they could not justify the
"nine-dashes" claim of China.
This is probably the reason why
China wanted to avoid legal confrontation because they can't support their claims. They opt to use force, intimidation, and even use cyber attacks to bully the Philippines and retreat from its current stand. They also allowed Chinese fishermen to poach in the disputed area. That would mean condoning the illegal activities of their own citizens.
Panatag Shoal within Philippine Economic Zone
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| UNCLOS Exclusive Ecomic Zone |
Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (
UNCLOS), a country can claim a 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Panatag Shoal is just 124 nautical miles from the town of Masinloc in Zambalez. The Philippines also has a map that proves
Scarborough Shoal is part of the town of Masinloc.
If China continues to show its military power on the disputed islands, it only shows that they do not want to settle the issue in a diplomatic way.
On the other hand, can the Philippines assert its sovereinty in the
West Philippine Sea or we will succumb to the bullying of the Chinese and let them grab the entire
South China Sea.
As one commenter said, it's between 92M Filipino people vs. 1.3B Chinese people, what can we do?
UPDATES on Scarborough Shoal Dispute:
-The Chinese government ordered its Tour Operators/Agencies to cancel trips to the Philippines. That would mean the country will be loosing at least 2,000 tourists per year.
-A fishing ban was imposed by China on some areas of the South China Sea including the disputed area in
Scarborough shoal. This will start on May 16 and will end August 1. The Philippine government refused to aknowledge the ban since it includes the area being claimed by both countries. But the government will also adopt similar measure to replenish fish stocks in the area.
