PH eyes infra projects on disputed islands

From the Manila Standard Today (Jan 5): PH eyes infra projects on disputed islands

A ranking military official said on Friday that infrastructure development projects would be in place in islands owned by the Philippines which are also being contested by China in the West Philippine Sea. Western Command Commander, Major Gen. Juanito Saban, said that the government planned on putting up structures in the islands as part of its efforts to spur economic development in the area. Included in the projects to be undertaken starting this year, according to Saban, was the rehabilitation of the air strip in Kalayaan Island, which would be turned into a world-class airport that could accommodate larger aircrafts.

Also in the drawing board were plans to improve the ports in Kalayaan and the setting up of piers in other areas situated within the country’s exclusive economic zone of 200 nautical miles. “The piers would definitely spur economic development to the inhabitants, create livelihood and attract tourists in that area,” Saban said.

As this developed, the Foreign Affairs Department again asked clarification from Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying on the scope of the new maritime regulation in the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea) which Hainan Province said would implement starting this year. Hainan Province administers the newly-built Sansha City, which was given full control over the three major islands (Paracel, Spratlys and Mcclesfield) in the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea). Hua’s actually based his statement on the announcement made last month by Wu Chicun, the director general of the Foreign Affairs Office of Hainan province. Wu had said that Chinese naval forces may board, search and seize vessels entering China’s territory which are engaged in illegal activities and if the ships were within 12 nautical miles of China’s territorial waters.

“We have asked China for further clarification on the statement of the Foreign Ministry spokesperson that the scope of Hainan’s rules is limited to within 12 nautical miles of Hainan’s coast,” said DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez. This was the second time that the Philippines had asked China for clarification on the new maritime regulation, after Beijing failed to respond to DFA’s query when Wu made the announcement in December. The DFA also asked for an English translation copy of Hainan’s new maritime rules, but Beijing has yet to comply with the request.

Wu had said that the main purpose of the new maritime regulation was mainly to prevent Vietnamese fishing boats from operating in the waters near Yongxing island in the Paracels, which China calls Xisha. He added that the “outside world should not overreact, or read too much into them (maritime rules) nor should anyone give a one-sided or distorted explanation.”

Wu denied that China was planning to take over the islands by force. He, however, said that the new maritime regulations apply to the hundred of the islands scattered across the disputed sea and their surrounding waters, specifically to the sea around islands of its baselines. A baseline is the low-water line along the coast from which countries measure their territorial waters as provided by the United Nation Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos). “But for islands whose territorial water baselines have not yet been announced, since there is no way to clearly define the width of their territorial sea, the aforementioned problem does not exist,” he said.

Beijing claims ownership of practically the entire China Sea, based on its nine-dash-line map.
Beijing’s aggressive claim has sparked diplomatic spats between the two sides since April last year when Chinese ships prevented the country’s navy from arresting Chinese fishermen who were caught poaching in Scarborough Shoal. The shoal, also called Bajo de Masinloc by the Philippines and Huangyan Island by China, is located within 200 nautical miles from the nearest Luzon province of Zambales.

Meanwhile, Saban said plans are also underway for the rehabilitation and upgrade of military barracks and outposts in Kalayaan. Saban said developments in the area could help transform the island into a tourist destination. “While other countries are promoting their islands as tourist destinations, we might as well compete because ours are better than theirs,” Saban said.

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2013/01/05/ph-eyes-infra-projects-on-disputed-islands/