The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has summoned the Chinese ambassador to the Philippines over complaints that Chinese ships are still stranded on the Julian Felipe reef in the West Philippine Sea.
For the first time, the DFA announced that they had summoned Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian to explain the “illegal” stay of their ships.
The agency also expressed their “irritation” at such action.
“The DFA expressed displeasure over the illegal lingering presence of Chinese vessels in Julian Felipe reef,” said DFA.
DFA Acting Undersecretary Elizabeth Buensuceso stressed to Chinese ambassador Huang that Chinese ships are inside the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and this is causing tension.
Based on the case won by the Philippines against China in 2016, there is no basis for China’s claim to almost the entire South China Sea.
Chinese officials were also reminded to be fair in their actions after a Chinese embassy spokesman called Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana’s call to China “irresponsible.”
According to DFA Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., only 9 Chinese ships remain in the area based on information from the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea.
DFA summons Chinese ambassador to express PH’s ‘displeasure’ over issues on WPS
Locsin insisted that it was time for Chinese ships to leave.
One expert believes that China will also leave the area but said the Philippines needs to show that it is serious about protecting the country’s rights.
He said that frequent patrols and surveillance will help.
“It will send a stronger signal and my prognosis is that China will eventually pull out its ships largely because unlike the Mischief Reef, this time around there is way much more international attention and criticism of what China is doing,” the opinion of Collin Koh, research fellow of Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies of Singapore.
The Chinese embassy has not yet responded to the DFA’s statement.
However, it earlier insisted that Julian Felipe Reef is part of their historical claim according to their nine-dash line map, even though the area is part of the Philippine exclusive economic zone under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Julian Felipe Reef, called Niu’e Jiao by the Chinese is located 175 nautical miles from Bataraza, Palawan.