The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on Monday it will assess reef damage caused by a Chinese maritime ship that ran aground in shallow water near Thitu Island in the South China Sea over the weekend.
“The PCG, in cooperation with other relevant organizations, is preparing to conduct an environmental damage assessment of reefs caused by the illegal presence of Chinese maritime militias in the waters of the Philippines,” it said in a statement.
It added: “The purpose of this assessment is to assess any potential ecological impacts caused by this situation.”
The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to Viber’s information seeking comments.
PCG said a Chinese naval ship 16838 ran aground about a nautical mile near the Philippines Island, and the Philippines has occupied a mile since 1971, the PCG said.
“Due to poor marine conditions, Chinese ships could be driven to shallow water areas, characterized by wave heights of two to three meters and strong winds,” it said.
Coast Guard personnel stationed on the island contacted Chinese vessels to assess their condition and help them move to deeper water.
“Unfortunately, the ship did not respond to the PCG’s inquiry,” it said. “After about three hours, the vessel was able to release itself without external assistance.”
A Chinese Coast Guard has communicated with a ground ship but has not approached it due to concerns that it may also be trapped in shallow water.
The Philippines calls Thitu Island Pag-Asa is the second largest island in the disputed Sprat Islands, China, Taiwan and Vietnam all claims. The Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei claim some islands.
The Philippines has a military post on Thitu Island where a small Filipino community has lived since 1971.
In 2016, a United Nations-backed court based in The Hague announced China’s claims that more than 80% of the South China Sea were illegal.
The tensions have been exacerbated by repeated clashes between Manila and Beijing on the disputed waterways.
Political analysts over the weekend said that if the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) association president next year, the Philippines should use it as a platform to raise the voice of security issues in the region, including the South China Sea controversy.
Josue Raphael J. Cortez said the ASEAN summit meeting could be used as a launching board for bilateral negotiations with China’s separate Code of Conduct (COC) on the waterway, and if regional consensus remains elusive, Josue Raphael J. Cortez said that the ASEAN summit meeting could be used as a launching board for bilateral negotiations with China’s separate Code of Conduct (COC) on the waterway, and if regional consensus remains elusive, Josue Raphael J. He added that Pan-East Asia-China COC may take time.
“However, since we are the main stakeholders in this mission, we can explore the possibility of establishing a two-part/bilateral treaty with China first, and we can use the ASEAN conference as a platform next year for a preliminary discussion on how to forge it,” he said.
Rommel C. Banlaoi, president of the Philippine Society for International Security Research, said China agreed to negotiate a legally binding COC in the South China Sea in 2026.
“Its conclusion will depend on the details of the COC, because the devil is always in the details,” he said in a Viber chat.
He added that the Philippines, as chairman of the regional group next year, could propose projects in the upcoming ASEAN summit, but pointed out that it has no control over the results since the group worked on consensus.
During 46Th Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos (Jr.) held last month’s ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur urged his leaders to quickly adopt the legally bound South China Sea COC, warning of maritime tensions and uncertainty threatening hard areas.
Given that China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan are concerned, the South China Sea remains one of the most turbulent flashpoints in the region.
Although ASEAN and China agreed to issue a declaration of conduct in 2002, legal, political and strategic differences repeatedly delayed progress towards a binding framework.
Philippines and China mark 50Th June 9th anniversary of its diplomatic relations.
The formal relations began in 1975 when the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos (Sr.) signed a common communique with Chinese Prime Minister Zhou Ellai in Beijing, making the Philippines one of the first Southeast Asian countries to have normal relations with Beijing during the Cold War. – Ah Harry
