Manila rejects Beijing’s plan to build a nature reserve in Scarborough Shoals

go through Adrian H. Halili and Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio, reporter

The Philippines rejected China’s plan to establish a national nature reserve in the Scarborough Shoal on Thursday, saying it was “apparently illegal”.

National Security Adviser Eduardo M.Año said in a statement that the plan is a strategic move toward greater control of rock atolls, a major fishing patch located within the exclusive 200-mile (370-km) economic zone of the Philippines.

“This move by the People’s Republic of China is not enough to protect the environment, but more to prove its control over the maritime characteristics of a part of the Philippine territory,” he said.

“It’s an obvious excuse for the final profession,” he added.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to Viber’s information seeking comments.

Mr. Anio said the plan violated the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the 2016 United Nations support for the Tribunal’s arbitration award and the 2022 declaration on the conduct of the parties.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in another statement that it would file a formal diplomatic protest against the plan.

“The Philippines will conduct a formal diplomatic protest against this illegal and illegal action by China, as it clearly violates the rights and interests of the Philippines,” the agency said in a statement.

Beijing recently approved a reserve created in Scarborough Shoal, which Manila calls Bajo de Masinloc one of the most controversial areas in the South China Sea.

China’s State Council said that nature reserves are an important measure to maintain the “diversity, stability and sustainability of natural ecosystems” in marine characteristics.

According to China’s National Forestry and Grassland Administration, the reserve will cover 3,500 hectares of land on Huangshan Island, the Chinese name of Scarborough Shoal, and its coral reef ecosystem is the main conservation target.

The DFA said it was a “strong protest” of the move, stressing that the shoal is “a long-term component of the Philippines with sovereignty and jurisdiction.”

“The Philippines also has the exclusive authority to establish environmental protected areas in its territory and related maritime areas,” it said. “Avoid implementation and immediately withdraw its international committees and comply with its obligations under international law.”

Scarborough Shoal has been under control in China since 2012, located in Zambales province about 120 miles (222 km) from Zambales province.

In 2016, the Hague-based arbitral tribunal claimed for China’s propaganda South China Sea, but Beijing ignored the ruling.

As China continues to advocate for a large number of claims of almost the entire ocean, the South China Sea has become a regional flashpoint, a crucial global trade route and is also believed to be rich in submarine gas and oil deposits.

“Effectively promoted”
Manila and Beijing have repeatedly locked in the ocean characteristics, both countries claiming in disputed waters, including the Scarborough Shoal. The atoll is about 222 kilometers west of Luzon, nearly 900 kilometers from the nearest major Chinese plot in Hainan.

After China seized control of the 2012 atoll in 2012, its access to Scarborough was restricted after it confronted the Philippine forces.

The Philippines disputed it in 2013 on the controversial shoal, and the court ruled in 2016 that China interfered with the opportunity for Filipino fishermen to enter the region.

However, sovereignty over rock atolls remains unresolved because the ruling does not allocate ownership despite depriving China of its wide South China Sea claims.

According to analysts, the Philippines should strongly respond to China’s plan to establish a national nature reserve in the Scarborough Shoal, warning that the move could undermine Manila’s posture in the South China Sea.

Beijing may be testing Manila’s determination to argue for the region’s claims, and a weak response could lead China to push similar assertions about other controversial maritime characteristics, they said.

“China may want to see the Philippines’ reaction,” said Julio S. Amador III, CEO of Manila-based geopolitical risk company Amador Research Services.

“If there is no effective push, then there is a good chance it will try to do the same thing with other features,” he said.

The Philippines should establish a consistent presence in Beijing’s plans to build nature reserves, said Sherwin E. Ona, a security analyst and associate professor of political science, in Viber’s message.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if China built a building in Bajo de Masinloc and claimed it was a fishing shelter,” he said.

“We can call the Chinese ambassador to the Philippines to discuss and clarify this issue,” said Josue Raphael J. Cortez, diplomatic coach at De la Salle-College of the St. Benedes School of Diplomacy and Governance, in Facebook Messenger Chat.

He added that the Philippine delegation could also increase China’s reserve plan to enhance the U.S. bilateral advisory mechanism as it enacts the sovereignty challenge in Manila.

The bilateral consulting mechanism was established in waters in 2017 and trillions of dollars in ship trade are passed every year.

“If it is not resolved, it may make it possible that there may be a problem with how our two countries move forward,” Mr Cortez said.

Chester B. Cabalza, founding president of Manila-based think tank International Development and Security Cooperation, said China’s reserve plan could also exacerbate tensions in the controversial shoals.

“This will make Scarborough a flashpoint area and escalate more chaos with restrictions on expected access and resource deprivation,” he said via Messenger chat.