Philippines protests China’s planned Scarborough nature reserve

MANILA, Philippines, September 12 ------ The Philippines strongly protested China’s plan to establish a nature reserve in Panatag Shoal as Manila called on Beijing to immediately withdraw the plan. The State Council of China approved the establishment of the “Huangyan Island National Nature Reserve” in the Panatag Shoal, also known as Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal.

In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said “Bajo de Masinloc is a longstanding and integral part of the Philippines over which it has sovereignty and jurisdiction.” “The Philippines likewise has the exclusive authority to establish environmental protection areas over its territory and relevant maritime zones,” the DFA said.

The DFA said the Philippines would issue a formal diplomatic protest against this “illegitimate and unlawful action by China as it clearly infringes upon the rights and interests of the Philippines in accordance with international law.” The Philippines urged China to respect the sovereignty and jurisdiction of the Philippines over Bajo de Masinloc, refrain from enforcing and immediately withdraw its State Council issuance, and comply with its obligations under international law, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the final and binding 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award, and the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.

National Security Adviser Eduardo Año also slammed China’s plans yesterday to put up a so-called nature reserve at the Panatag Shoal in the West Philippine Sea. “It is a clear pretext towards eventual occupation,” he said, accusing China of damaging the marine environment in the area only to now claim that it seeks to protect the same. Año said China’s plans are patently illegal. “This move by the PRC (People’s Republic of China) is less about protecting the environment and more about justifying its control over a maritime feature that is part of the territory of the Philippines, and its waters lie within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines,” he noted. “The irony is clear: since 2016, evidence has shown large-scale harvesting of endangered species and reef destruction by Chinese fishermen, activities even cited by the Arbitral Tribunal. To now claim stewardship over an ecosystem that they themselves have damaged is both contradictory and misleading,” he said.

Año stressed that “true protection of Bajo de Masinloc demands cooperation, transparency, and respect for international law; not unilateral declarations that restrict access to Filipino fisherfolk under the guise or cover of conservation.” He declared that the National Security Council fully supports the filing by the DFA of a formal diplomatic protest “against this illegal and illegitimate act by the PRC.”

Source: philstar.com