PH fires off  new diplomatic protest over Chinese ships’ return in WPS

FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Wednesday ordered the filing of a new diplomatic protest against China amid reports of the return of over 200 Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

Locsin issued the directive following the report of the National Task Force for WPS that 240 Chinese military militia were seen swarming in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

“@DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) Fire a diplomatic protest now. @DFA by the time I get to the office at noon that diplomatic protest has already been fired. Now!,” Locsin said in a series of tweets.

“Bumalik na sila (They’re back). Remember the movie Poltergeist when the little girl looking at the snow on the TV screen screams, ‘Mom, they’re back.’ Yup, the poltergeist are baaaack,” he added.

The NTF-WPS has reported that only nine of the 220 Chinese vessels were left moored in the Julian Felipe Reef in the WPS. The Chinese ships swarmed the reef in the early part of March apparently to seek cover from bad weather.

“Well, shortlived good news. The really bad news is not that they’re swarming as a prelude to legal possession — legally impossible; they really are fishing — everything in the water that belongs by law to us: fish, clams and in such big quantities as to wipe out sustainability,” Locsin said.

Reacting on a news item that Chinese scientists drilled in the contested South China Sea, Locsin said, “As long as not in the Philippines’ EEZ. Period”.

Asked to comment on the return of Chinese ships in the WPS, Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan said, “We should exhaust all diplomatic means to assert our sovereign rights over our exclusive economic zone”.

“If the tension further escalates we can include bringing the matter to the Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and even the UN (United Nations),” Pangilinan added.

Manila on Monday relayed to Beijing its displeasure over the “illegal lingering presence” of Chinese vessels at the Julian Felipe Reef in the WPS.

 

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has summoned Chinese Ambassador to Manila Huang Xilian to relay the Philippine government’s sentiment over China’s failure to withdraw all of its maritime assets in the WPS.

The DFA reiterated the Philippines’ firm demand that China should “ensure the immediate departure of all its vessels from the area and other maritime zones of the Philippines”.

 

In a statement on Tuesday, the DFA said acting Undersecretary Elizabeth Buensuceso has informed Xilian that Julian Felipe Reef “lies within the exclusive economic zone” of the Philippines. 

 

It is located 175 nautical miles west of Bataraza town in Palawan and 638.229 nautical miles from Hainan Island in China.

 

“The continuing presence of Chinese vessels around the reef is a source of regional tension,” Buensuceso supposedly told Xilian.