As the Department of Foreign Affairs plans another protest against China over the reported rendering of a new official Chinese map, Beijing's state-owned media on Monday fired a broadside at DFA Secretary Albert del Rosario, accusing him of deliberately raising tensions in the region. The state-owned China Daily accused the Philippines of "playing the role of troublemaker" and seeking every opportunity to escalate tensions in the South China Sea, which Manila calls the West Philippine Sea. In its editorial page, China Daily cited the efforts of DFA Secretary del Rosario to get Beijing to clarify its deployment of more patrol ships to guard the islands and waters of the South China Sea. Such frequent patrols are the normal exercise of sovereignty, said China Daily, and instead of continuing to make noise, Manila "had better get used to it."
Manila, like Vietnam, has also protested Beijing's inclusion of a nine-dash map - which shows China owning the entire South China Sea - in the design of the new Chinese passports. The DFA-set policy, followed by immigration, is not to stamp Philippine visas on these new Chinese passports, and instead stamp the visa on a separate application form provided by Philippine authorities to Chinese citizens traveling to the Philippines.
Tourism plans 'for Nansha' assailed
The China Daily took issue, meanwhile, with the Philippine government's announcement of plans to turn "some of the disputed Nansha Islands" (Beijing’s reference to the disputed territory) into tourist destinations. "The Philippine military had already said that the country may build infrastructure on them. All these constitute an open defiance to China's sovereignty as China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and their adjacent waters and opposes any move that could impair China's sovereignty," the Chinese commentary added. "If Manila takes further steps in this regard, it is sure to meet with strong opposition as well as countermeasures from China. It is now crystal clear that Manila is determined to play the role of a troublemaker and seeks every opportunity to escalate tensions in the South China Sea."
Such moves of Manila, the paper said, "sparked new tensions over the disputed waters." Beijing's alleged aggression is a "false accusation and Manila's top diplomat should not forget that his own country raised the tensions in the disputed waters in the first place." China's recent efforts are but a response to "Manila's provocative moves," the daily said.
'Excessive coverage' of new map
Days after China announced that it would release its new and updated official map by the end of January, DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez had said in a text message the DFA will first "verify" the extent of its coverage before issuing an official statement. If the new map is confirmed, said Hernandez, "we will protest the excessive coverage in the map of China."A day earlier, Malacañang ordered the DFA to verify the reports made by Xinhua, a China-owned news agency.
The report quoted Sinomaps Press as announcing it has already updated and redesigned its old map by including 130 islands and islets of the South China Sea, including those contested by the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan. Sinomaps Press chief editor Xu Gencai said they published a new map to inform their Chinese nationals about China’s maritime territory, in order to safeguard its marine rights and interests; and manifest their political diplomatic stance. "The new vertical maps have marked clearly the major South China Sea islands and demonstrated their geographic relations with surrounding island countries as well as surrounding islands and islets," Xu said.
15 protests and counting
The DFA has thus far filed 15 diplomatic protests against China's excessive claims and aggression in the West Philippine Sea. Among others, Manila is protesting the establishment of Sansha City to administer Spratly, Macclesfield Bank, Paracel islands, including the creation of a legislative body and military garrison there. Manila also filed a diplomatic complaint against China’s issuance of its new electronic passport bearing the nine-dash-map.
Beijing's issuance of a policy allowing local authorities in Hainan province to board and search foreign vessels entering contested waters was also the subject of a complaint by Manila. Several protests filed by the Philippines and other claimant countries like Vietnam have done little to deter China from continuing its series of "excessive actions," which Chinese experts and officials merely frame as the exercise of a "right to protect" its interest over the disputed maritime territory.
Manila has insisted that China abide by the terms of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), which recognizes the 200 nautical miles exclusive economic zone of countries. Following this, said DFA, the Philippines is the only country that could explore or acquire maritime features. Manila and Beijing have seen tensions rising since April, when China blocked Philippine naval authorities from arresting its fishermen who were caught illegally fishing and acquiring endangered maritime species within the 125 nautical miles EEZ, in Panatag Shoal off the Zambales coastline.
Regular patrols continue
The Chinese Oceanic Administration, which is responsible for overseeing and safeguarding national maritime rights and interests, said last Thursday it will continue to carry out regular patrols in China's "territorial waters" in the East and South China Seas. "It is normal practice for a sovereign state to patrol its territorial waters. Instead of feeling uncomfortable about it, Manila had better get used to it," China Daily said.
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/52704/china-daily-to-troublemaker-philippines-you-had-better-get-used-to-seeing-more-of-our-patrols
The regional bully is at it again. While in diplomatic circles China insists it wants to see a peaceful resolution of South China Sea claims, its leaders contine to implement an aggressive strategy to incrementally assert Chinese control over all of its claims in the SCS.
ReplyDeleteOf course, those countries like the Philippines or Vietnam that dare to oppose Chinese claims or take any action to improve/protect their own individual claims are labeled "troublemakers" and given stern warnings or worse.
Frankly, the Chinese don't see any other claimant in the region that poses any real threat to working its will in the SCS. Chinese leaders will probably continue down this aggressive path until someone militarily challenges their position and precipitates a regional crisis. Sometimes it is only through crisis that genuine compromise can be reached.
China seems pretty adamant about its SCS claims. The real question is just how much are China's leaders willing to risk to achieve their goals in the South China Sea?