The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is committed to sustaining a presence in a disputed area of the South China Sea to ensure Beijing does not carry out reclamation activities at Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Reef), its spokesperson said yesterday.
The PCG on Saturday said it had deployed a ship to Sabina Shoal, where it accused China of building an artificial island, amid an escalating maritime row, adding two other vessels were in rotational deployment in the area.
Since the ship’s deployment in the middle of last month, the PCG said it had discovered piles of dead and crushed coral that had been dumped on the sandbars of Sabina Shoal, altering their sizes and elevation.
Photo: AFP
PCG spokesperson Jay Tarriela told a news conference yesterday the coast guard had to make sure it was able to prevent “China from carrying out a successful reclamation in Sabina Shoal.”
He said that the PCG was committed to maintaining a presence at the shoal, which Manila calls Escoda.
Located within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, the shoal is the rendezvous point for vessels carrying out resupply missions to Filipino troops stationed on a grounded warship at Second Thomas Shoal (Renai Shoal, 仁愛暗沙), where the Philippines and China have had frequent maritime run-ins.
China has carried out extensive land reclamation on some islands in the South China Sea, building air force and other military facilities, causing concern in Washington and around the region.
Tarriela believed the coast guard had been effective in deterring China from doing small-scale reclamation. It had not documented any activity from the Chinese vessels present in Sabina Shoal since it deployed its multirole response vessel there last month.
“China does not want to get caught,” Tarriela said.
In Beijing, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday urged Manila to stop making irresponsible remarks and to stop trying to mislead the international community with its accusations that Beijing was building “an artificial island” in disputed waters.
In related news, more than 100 Filipino civilians are set to sail to the South China Sea this week, risking a face-off with dozens of Chinese vessels reportedly deployed near a shoal that has been the site of recent clashes.
The civilian mission to Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island, 黃岩島) from today to Friday to deliver supplies to fishers will push through despite a reported Chinese presence in the area, organizers said in a statement yesterday.
“China’s actions are failing to intimidate Filipinos,” they said.
About 30 Chinese coast guard and militia ships are expected to be near the vicinity of the shoal around the time of the sail, said Ray Powell, director of a Stanford University project tracking Beijing’s activities in the South China Sea.
That is “by far the largest blockade” observed in the area, he said.
A similar civilian sail from the Philippines was cut short late last year after Chinese ships shadowed Philippine vessels.
Additional reporting by Bloomberg
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