Gadfly prods China ‘elephant’ to punish PHL ‘mosquito’ in Spratlys row

A Chinese columnist in a Beijing-sanctioned web site has called on China to wage “tiny-scale battles" against the Philippines and Vietnam as a warning against other claimants of the disputed Spratly Islands from making aggressive moves against China. In an opinion column published Thursday on the Chinese Communist Party-run web site Global Times, Long Tao called on China to launch military actions in the Spratlys to ward off other countries laying claim on the islands. Long Tao was identified as a strategic analyst at think tank China Energy Fund Committee. “For those who infringe upon our sovereignty to steal the oil, we need to warn them politely, and then take action if they don’t respond," Tao said. In particular, he issued stern warnings against Vietnam and the Philippines, which he said should be punished for acting “extremely aggressive" in the past months. Tao called the Philippines a pretentiously weak and innocent “mosquito" that is supposedly not afraid of the Chinese “elephant," adding that China must only refrain from attacking “if mosquitoes behave well." “But it seems like we have a completely different story now given the mosquitoes even invited an eagle (referring to the United States) to come to their ambitious party. I believe the constant military drill and infringement provide no better excuse for China to strike back," he added. Tao pointed out that China is not afraid of going to war over the disputed islands since none of the more than 1,000 oil and gas wells and other facilities in the area were built by the Chinese. “Everything will be burned to the ground should a military conflict break out. Who’ll suffer most when Western oil giants withdraw?" he stressed. A 2010 report by VERA Files, however, pointed out that China has constructed a lighthouse on Subi Reef, one of the islands in the disputed area. Under international law, a lighthouse is a recognized base point from where a state can measure its maritime regimes, including territorial sea (12 nautical miles from the baseline), contiguous zone (24 nm), economic exclusive zone (200 nm), continental shelf (200 nm) and extended continental shelf (350nm), the report noted. Additionally, in 1999, the Philippines claimed that the Chinese structures discovered on “Mischief Reef" had been built for military purposes, which China had denied. Spratlys gearing up In his column, Tao lamented that other claimants of the islands in the area have been upgrading and stockpiling their arsenals. “Singapore brings home high-end stealth aircraft while Australia, India and Japan are all stockpiling arms for a possible ‘world-class’ battle. The US, provoking regional conflict itself, did not hesitate to meet the demands of all of the above," he said. However, China has also ramped up its military spending, even finishing the construction of its first aircraft carrier in July, which will be ready for sea trials by the end of the year. The Philippines, for its part, has bought a 378-foot, second-hand US Coast Guard cutter, the BRP Gregorio del Pilar, its largest warship to date. “However, being rational and restrained will always be our guidance on this matter. We should make good preparations for a small-scale battle while giving the other side the option of war or peace," Tao clarified. ‘Sea of Friendship’ Following his visit to China in early September, President Benigno Aquino III said that the two countries have agreed on the need for a South China Sea “code of conduct" in order to prevent rising tensions coming from all fronts, which could potentially lead to war. “They actually even responded that there should be an implementing agreement already for the code of conduct in the South China Sea or the West Philippine Sea. That is very significant," Aquino said. In July, China and Southeast Asian countries agreed on a preliminary set of guidelines in the South China Sea, a rare sign of cooperation in a row that has plagued relations in the region for years. Such perceived benevolence from the two countries even led to an agreement that they will call the Spratly Islands an area of “friendship and cooperation." “Both sides were very positive in addressing the issue of the South China Sea," Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda had said. People’s Daily commentary In August, People's Daily, the government agency responsible for the publication of Global Times, ran a similar commentary warning the Philippines for allegedly infringing on China's sovereignty. The commentary on People’s Daily Online titled “Some countries will pay for misjudging China’s sovereignty," said, “Manila obviously lacks the sincerity to peacefully address the South China Sea issue." The Chinese newspaper said the Philippines has been calling for a peaceful resolution to the Spratlys dispute. However, the newspaper noted that “it was reported that the Philippine military constructed this building to guard the disputed waters to shelter itself in case of bad weather. This move has severely violated the ‘Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.’" The Declaration of Conduct is a “stop-gap" measure agreed upon by the disputant states with an eye on a more authoritative and binding Code of Conduct. “The behavior of the Philippines is the invasion of China’s territory and also the destruction of the ASEAN position," it added. — MRT/HS, GMA News