Alarm sounded anew on China’s reclamation on disputed waters

China’s “unbridled reclamation activity” in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) worsens an already sensitive geopolitical situation and raises the specter of increasing militarization in the region.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Evan P. Garcia declared this at the 17th Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN)- India Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) held recently in New Delhi as he called anew on the international community to press for a cessation of massive reclamation activities in the South China Sea.

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), concerns regarding recent developments in the South China Sea were discussed at the meeting between ranking officials from ASEAN member countries and India, led by Indian Minister of External Affairs Anil Wadha.

It was the Philippine delegation, led by Undersecretary Garcia, who provided India with updates on developments in the disputed region.

China and four ASEAN member countries– namely the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, and Malaysia--are involved in a prolonged territorial dispute over areas in the South China Sea.

Recent satellite images showed China is reclaiming significant amount of land at several sites in disputed waters in the South China Sea through land reclamation, in addition to two other sites previously documented by the defense publication IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly.

The latest images show reclamation at Johnson South (Mabini) Reef, Cuarteron (Calderon) Reef, Hughes Reef, Gaven ( Burgos) Reef, Fiery Cross (Kagitingan) Reef, and Mischief Reef. China has also been building artificial islands on Subi (Zamora) Reef.

All these areas are fertile fishing grounds and potentially rich reserves of undersea natural resources.

Noting that an important dimension of the ASEAN-India strategic partnership is its increasing relevance to the political security of the region, Minister Wadha assured the Philippines that India will encourage the peaceful resolution of the dispute.