Philippines told to bring sea row with China to UN

MANILA should pursue bringing its sea dispute with Beijing to the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, a Philippine senator said on Tuesday, adding that China should stop “dangerous actions” that risk the lives of Filipino fishermen and maritime authorities.

“It’s high time that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) heed the Senate’s call and take a decisive step in pursuing the filing of a resolution before the United Nations General Assembly to call for the immediate cessation of all activities by China against our maritime authorities and Filipino fisherfolk,” Senate President Pro-Tempore Jose “Jinggoy” P. Estrada, Jr. said in a statement.

“Are we going to wait for something more serious to happen before we act?” he added in Filipino.

The DFA and Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately reply to separate WhatsApp and Viber messages seeking comment.

Beijing’s military conducted combat readiness patrols in parts of the South China Sea on Monday and Tuesday, Chinese state media reported on Tuesday.

At the weekend, Manila conducted joint patrols in the waterway with Washington, Canberra, Tokyo and Wellington to improve interoperability of their military forces.

The Philippines’ BRP Antonio Luna and BRP Emilio Jacinto, America’s USS Howard, Australia’s HMAS Sydney, Japan’s JS Sazanami and New Zealand’s HMNZS Aotearoa participated in the joint patrols, according to the US Naval Institute website.

On Sunday, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said Chinese navy vessels had kept an eye on and tailed the ships that participated in the joint patrols.

Tensions between the Philippines and China have worsened in the past year as Beijing continues to block resupply missions to Second Thomas Shoal, where Manila has a handful of troops stationed at a beached vessel.

In 2016, a United Nations-backed tribunal based in the Hague voided China’s claim to more than 80% of the South China Sea for being illegal.

The Philippines has been unable to enforce the ruling and has since filed hundreds of protests over what it calls encroachment and harassment by China’s coast guard and its vast fishing fleet.

Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique A. Manalo said in his speech at the UN General Assembly at the weekend that Manila would pursue peaceful and diplomatic means to resolve disputes, citing the importance of upholding a rules-based international order.

He earlier said the Philippines plans on raising its dispute with China with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) when it heads the agency in 2027.

The ASEAN and China have been in talks as far back as 2002 to craft a code of conduct in the South China Sea.

“By bringing this matter to the attention of the UN, we emphasize that this issue extends beyond just two countries,” Mr. Estrada said. “It is about upholding international law and the sovereignty of all nations, regardless of their size.”

Manila and Beijing on July 2 reached a “provisional arrangement” for Philippine resupply missions to Second Thomas Shoal, which the Philippines calls Ayungin.

About $3 trillion worth of trade passes through the South China Sea annually, and it is believed to be rich in oil and natural gas deposits, apart from fish stocks. — John Victor D. Ordonez