Philippines weighs options against China over reef
The Philippines is exploring legal options against China, accusing it of destroying coral reefs within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea, an allegation rejected by Beijing as an attempt to “create political drama.”
The Philippine Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday said it was awaiting assessments from agencies of the extent of environmental damage in Iroquois Reef and would be guided by solicitor general Menardo Guevarra.
The reef is near the Reed Bank (Lile Bank, 禮樂灘) in the Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島), which Taiwan also claims.
Guevarra was quoted by online news outlet Rappler as saying he was studying the possibility of filing a second case to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, but a legal course of action had not yet been decided.
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said that it was “ready to contribute to this effort.”
“States entering the Philippines’ EEZ and maritime zones are likewise obliged to protect and preserve our marine environment,” the department said.
To pursue arbitration would be controversial after the Philippines’ landmark 2016 victory in a case against China, which concluded that Beijing’s claim to sovereignty over most of the South China Sea had no basis under international law.
Guevarra did not immediately respond to a request for comment yesterday.
Manila hopes to access gas reserves in the Reed Bank, a plan complicated by China’s claim to the area.
China, which does not recognize the 2016 ruling despite repeated mentions of the case by Western powers, has denied the latest claims of destruction of coral reefs.
“We urge the relevant party of the Philippines to stop creating a political drama from fiction,” its embassy in Manila said on Thursday, quoting Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Mao Ning (毛寧).
The Philippines Coast Guard and its armed forces earlier this week reported “severe damage inflicted upon the marine environment and coral” at Iroquois Reef, where it said 33 Chinese vessels had been moored for the past two months.
They described the vessels, which are typically fishing trawlers, as “maritime militia” and said that they were harvesting the coral.
Coral from the South China Sea has been used for limestone and construction materials, traditional medicines and even souvenirs and jewelry.