The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) affirmed its commitment to maintaining a presence in the disputed area of the South China Sea to prevent China from conducting reclamation activities at the Sabina Shoal, its spokesperson said on Monday.
Latest Escalation
Deploying a ship to Sabina Shoal on Saturday, the coast guard accused China of constructing an artificial island, escalating the maritime dispute. Additionally, two other vessels are on rotational deployment in the area.
Since mid-April, the PCG has observed piles of dead and crushed coral dumped on the sandbars of Sabina Shoal, altering their natural state.
PCG spokesperson Jay Tarriela emphasised the necessity of preventing China from reclaiming land in the area. He added that the PCG is resolute in its commitment to uphold a presence at the shoal, referred to as Escoda by Manila, which lies within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
Meanwhile, the Chinese Embassy in Manila said on Sunday that “China has indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea Islands and the adjacent waters.”
Flashpoint in South China Sea
Sabina Shoal serves as a crucial rendezvous point for vessels supplying Filipino troops stationed on a grounded warship at the Second Thomas Shoal, where maritime tensions between Manila and Beijing are frequent.
China’s extensive land reclamation efforts in the South China Sea, including building military facilities, have raised concerns internationally. Tarriela noted that the coast guard’s presence has effectively deterred China from small-scale reclamation activities at Sabina Shoal, with no recent activity from Chinese vessels documented since the PCG’s deployment in April.
Philippines’ NSA Calls for Expulsion of Chinese Diplomats
Tensions between the two countries have been running high on the maritime front. On Friday, the Philippines’ National Security Adviser (NSA) Eduardo Año called for Chinese diplomats to be expelled after a phone conversation with a Filipino admiral regarding a significant escalation of an issue in the South China Sea was allegedly leaked.
China’s embassy in Manila had orchestrated “repeated acts of engaging and dissemination of disinformation, misinformation and malinformation,” with the objective of sowing discord, division and disunity, NSA Año said in a statement. Such actions “should not be allowed to pass unsanctioned without serious penalty,” he stressed.
In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian called the comments provocative and said Chinese diplomats in the Philippines must be allowed to do their job. “China solemnly requests the Philippine side to effectively safeguard the normal performance of duties by Chinese diplomatic personnel, stop infringing and provoking, and refrain from denying the facts,” Lin said at a press briefing in Beijing.