PHL asks China to clarify 'presence' near Palawan

(UPDATE 2 – 8:15 P.M.) The Philippine government has lodged a diplomatic protest against China on Friday, asking Beijing to explain why Chinese Navy patrol boats harassed a Philippine-sanctioned oil exploration vessel at the Reed Bank area, a disputed area in the South China Sea west of Palawan province. Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Erlinda Basilio has given Chinese Embassy Charge d’Affaires Bai Tian a note verbale expressing Manila’s “deep concern" over the incident where a Department of Energy (DOE) vessel exploring natural gas and oil sources in the waters west of Palawan was reportedly harassed by Chinese patrol boats.
President Benigno Aquino III himself told reporters in Bacolod City that, “The (Chinese) ambassador is still in Beijing and we handed them a protest on the incident." “The expert on the Spratly islands is also headed to Beijing to discuss the matter and (acting Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert) Del Rosario assured that the incident would not affect the government's efforts to seek the commutation of the sentences of three Filipinos who were earlier sentenced to die via lethal injection due to drug trafficking," Aquino added. This clarification from the President came hours after Del Rosario issued a statement during a regular Friday press briefing in Malacañang. “There was an encounter by a Philippine-sanctioned ship in the West Palawan area with two Chinese boats, leading to a change of direction on the part of the Philippine ship. We are asking our Chinese friends for an explanation of what happened and we are in dialogue with them. So I would prefer that we leave it at that until I can get back to you with some more information," said the acting secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs. Del Rosario also assured that the DOE research vessel remains within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone. Guarding the Reed Meanwhile, a Coast Guard ship has been deployed to the Reed Bank to ensure that oil exploration there would not get disrupted again. "The Coast Guard ship will ensure that our rights are protected by making sure that this survey ship was granted authority by our government to finish its job," Aquino said. The Philippine military, earlier on Wednesday, sent an aircraft to the disputed Reed Bank after receiving a report that Chinese patrol boats were trying to harass some Filipino oil explorers in the area. (See story: PHL military deploys aircraft to Reed Bank area near Palawan) The Chinese were allegedly claiming that the oil explorers from the Department of Energy were inside Chinese territory, according to Lt. Gen. Juancho Sabban, chief of the Armed Forces’ Western Mindanao Command. The Reed Bank is part of the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. The seabed in the area is said to contain some 3.4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 440 million barrels of oil.
View Reed Bank in a larger map Sabban said the Chinese boats fled even before the Philippine military aircraft arrived to check the situation. He insisted that the Reed Bank was within the Philippine's 320 km exclusive economic zone. Major flashpoint in Asia Reacting to the Reed Bank spat, Ethan Sun Yi, deputy chief of Political Section and Spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in Manila, reaffirmed its sovereignty over the Spratly Islands. “Ever since ancient times, China has indisputable sovereignty over Nansha Islands and their adjacent waters," Sun said, using the Spratly islands’ name in Chinese maps. The cluster of islands, shoals, atolls, cays and reefs in the South China Sea is seen as one of Asia’s major flashpoints because it is believed to harbor rich minerals and oil reserves. Several neighboring countries claim sovereignty over the territories, in part or in whole, including Vietnam and Taiwan. Sun said the Chinese government has been "consistently sticking" to the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, a landmark non-binding code of conduct signed in November 2002 by state-claimants aimed at peace and security in the South China Sea by maintaining status quo and temporarily putting ownership issues in the backburner. The signatories to the agreement were the Philippines, China, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Myanmar. “The Chinese side maintains that the related disputes should be resolved through peaceful negotiations," he said. But the United States has urged the Association of South East Asian Nations and China to forge a stronger code of conduct in the Spratlys and had even offered its assistance to craft such a document. (See related stories: US: China, ASEAN should strengthen Spratlys pact and Asean, China move closer to a binding code over Spratlys) Washington’s interest lies in securing one of the world’s most vital shipping lanes for commerce between the US and Asia. But China frowns on foreign intervention in resolving the South China Sea dispute, insisting that claimants resolve the problem among themselves instead of bringing in an outside power like the US. (See related stories: China, Asean gear up for Spratlys code of conduct meet and China warns anew vs US role in Spratlys dispute) The South China Sea dispute has also started to assume the broader dimensions of a potential superpower fight between the US and China, which are both nuclear powers with strategic interests not just in Southeast Asian countries and the South China Sea's shipping lanes, but in the wider East Asian and Western Pacific regions. (See: China, US making South China Sea a nuclear zone) Drug mules Asked if he thinks the sea spat could affect the fate of three Filipino “drug mules" on death row in China, and whose executions were indefinitely deferred, Del Rosario said: “I don't think so... I don't see any connections." Ramon Credo, 42; Sally Villanueva, 32; and Elizabeth Batain, 38, were all supposed to have been executed two weeks ago. They were were found guilty of smuggling 4,000 to 6,800 grams of heroin in 2008. However, Vice President Jejomar Binay, who flew to China to appeal the three Filipinos' case, announced on February 18 that he convinced the Chinese government to postpone the execution. (See: Convicted OFWs’ kin still uneasy after China deferred executions) In Friday's briefing at the Palace, Del Rosario reiterated that aside from the three convicted drug mules, the Philippine government would continue to negotiate with Chinese government officials regarding the cases of other convicted Filipinos there. (See: Palace: Not yet time to relax over case of 3 Pinoys in China) "We are still in the process of seeking clemency for those who have received capital punishment," he said. — LBG/MRT/JV, GMA News