‘PH Maritime zones bill will not deter Chinese fishers’

THE Maritime Zones bill, if it becomes a law, would not deter Chinese fishermen from intruding into Philippine waters, but it would “impose” more pressure on China to follow international law, a United Statesbased think tank said.

Gregory Poling, director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, made the remark when asked whether a Philippine maritime zone law would discourage Chinese incursions in the West Philippine Sea.

The Senate is set to pass on Monday on third and final reading Senate Bill (SB) 2492 or the proposed “Philippine Maritime Zones Act (PMZA) of 2023.”

SB 2492, sponsored by Sen. Francis Tolentino, aims to clearly delineate the maritime zones of the Philippines as specified by the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea (Unclos).

“There is no silver bullet. This is the slow accumulation of pressure, and what the Maritime Zones Act will do is further build up the Philippines’ moral and legal high ground, right? Like bringing Philippine domestic law more into obvious compliance with the international law of the sea,” Poling said.

“It gives the Philippines an even stronger position to continue to set itself up in contrast with the behavior of Beijing and impose more pressure on Beijing,” he said in a press briefing on Thursday. “But by itself, it doesn’t change anything overnight. This is a multi-decade problem. This is not reconcilable tomorrow.”

“[Chinese President] Xi Jinping is not going to wake up in the morning and say, ‘I’m sorry I had it all wrong,’” Poling said.

Tolentino, chairman of the Senate Special

Committee on Maritime and Admiralty Zones, said the PMZA “can be seen as a foundational policy that will help the Philippines manage, protect, regulate, develop, and sustainably utilize its marine wealth and maritime spaces.”

It will clearly define Philippine maritime entitlements as outlined in Unclos and other pertinent international regulations. It will also strengthen the country’s overall maritime governance framework.

Poling, with researchers Monica Sato, Harrison Prétat, Tabitha Mallory and Hao Chen, released in December 2023 a study titled “Deep Blue Scars: Environmental Threats to the South China Sea,” which stated that China has destroyed almost 21,000 acres of reefs due to its giant clam harvesting and expansionism in the South China Sea.