On August 16, 2020, Chinese fishing boats set sail into the South China Sea. Getty Images | VCG | Visual China Group After seeing more than 200 Chinese fishing vessels crewed by militias at a reef claimed by both nations in the South China Sea, the Philippine administration voiced worry but did not immediately lodge a protest. On March 7, roughly 220 Chinese vessels were seen moored in Whitsun Reef, according to a government organization overseeing the disputed zone. It posted photos of the ships moored together in one of the most heavily contested sections of the key waterway. The reef, dubbed Julian Felipe by Manila, is a boomerang-shaped and shallow coral zone located about 175 nautical miles (324 kilometers) west of Bataraza town in Palawan’s western province. It’s well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, where the country “enjoys the exclusive right to exploit or conserve any resources,” according to a statement from the agency. The enormous number of Chinese boats is “a source of concern due to the potential for overfishing and environmental degradation, as well as threats to navigational safety,” it stated, though it stressed that the vessels were not fishing when they were spotted. “Only if the generals tell me,” Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said when asked if the Philippines will file a protest. Officials from the Chinese Embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment. For decades, China, the Philippines, and four other countries have been involved in a heated territorial dispute over the resource-rich and bustling waterway. I guarantee that if I deploy my marines to chase the Chinese fisherman away, none of them would survive.Rodrigo Duterte The Philippines’ President President Rodrigo Duterte, who has cultivated friendly ties with Beijing since taking office in 2016, has been chastised by critics for failing to stand up to Beijing’s aggressive behavior and for refusing to seek Chinese compliance with an international arbitration ruling that invalidated Beijing’s historic claims to virtually the entire sea. China has refused to accept the 2016 verdict and has continued to ignore it. When Chinese authorities prevented Filipino fishermen from Scarborough Shoal off the coast of the Philippines in 2012, the arbitration tribunal concluded that China had breached its responsibility to protect Filipinos’ customary fishing rights. According to the verdict, the Philippines could not restrict Chinese fishermen access to Scarborough. Fishermen from China and other nations may be allowed to fish in other traditional fishing sites within the Philippines’ exclusive zone, according to the judgment. “Who can stop Xi when he declares, ‘I will fish?'” Duterte stated two years ago, referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping, as he defended his nonconfrontational policy. “I guarantee you not one of the Chinese fishermen would come home alive if I deploy my marines to drive them away,” Duterte remarked at the time, adding that diplomatic discussions with Beijing had allowed Filipinos to return to disputed fishing sites where Chinese soldiers had previously pushed them away. As the Philippines faces an alarming surge in coronavirus infections, Duterte has sought infrastructure money, trade, and investments from China, which has also given and offered to provide more Covid-19 vaccinations. Continue reading
