DFA questions Chinese embassy about surveillence ships in Spratlys

Thursday, 02 June 2011
Fidelis Angela Tan

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is asking the Chinese embassy for an explanation for the reported presence of Chinese ships near the Iroquois (Amy Douglas) Bank in the West Philippine Sea. The bank is in the vicinity of the Spratly Islands, a contentious region said to be rich in oil. Several countries, including China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei have staked their claim over the area.

According to the DFA, a Chinese Marine Surveillence vessel, along with other People's Liberation Army Navy ships, were found "well within the Philippines' 200 nautical miles Exclusive Economic Zone."

Citing reports from the Department of National Defense (DND) and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the DFA said that the ships "unloaded building materials, erected an undetermined number of posts, and placed a buoy near the breaker of the Iroquois Reef-Amy Douglas Bank."

The DFA had earlier met with the embassy following reports in the Chinese media of a plan for the Chinese to build an oil rig in the South China Sea. The DFA pointed out that the rig cannot be built in Philippine territory.

"Any new construction by China in the vicinity of the uninhabited Iroquois Reef-Amy Douglas Bank is a clear violation of the 2002 ASEAN-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties (DOC) in the South China Sea," said DFA secretary Albert del Rosario.

Defense secretary Voltaire Gazmin said that the reported sightings were “alarming.”

“It’s alarming in the sense that the intrusions are increasing,” he said, possibly referring to an encounter between a Philippine oil exploration vessel and Chinese ships back in March. “They are staking claim on the areas where we do not have a presence. They want to hoist their flag so they can claim the area.”

Gazmin said that the Philippines' recourse is to file a “diplomatic protest.”

The DFA has also emphasized that both nations continue to work towards maintaining peace in the disputed area.

"The Philippines recognizes that critical to the peace and stability of the West Philippine Sea is the full and faithful implementation of the ASEAN-China DOC on the South China Sea. The Philippines also believes that it is in the best interest of all claimant countries and the region to transform the area into a Zone of Peace, Freedom, Friendship and Cooperation (ZOPFF/C) through sustained consultations and dialogue," the DFA said.