South China Sea: Philippines ‘seriously concerned’ at reports of more Chinese island-building

Reports citing satellite images and Western officials said new land formations had emerged around the contested Spratly Islands
China’s foreign ministry said the claims were all ‘made out of thin air’, as Manila vowed to ‘not give up a single square inch’ of territory

The Philippines

Agence France-Presse

Published: 3:27pm, 21 Dec 2022

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The Philippines said on Wednesday it was “seriously concerned” over a report that China has started reclaiming several unoccupied land features in the disputed South China Sea.

Reports on Tuesday citing satellite images and Western officials said new land formations have emerged around the contested Spratly Islands in the sea, where a Chinese vessel with a hydraulic excavator was seen operating over the years.

“We are seriously concerned as such activities contravene the declaration of conduct on the South China Sea’s undertaking on self-restraint and the 2016 arbitral award,” the Philippine foreign ministry said in response to the report.

The ministry added that other agencies have been asked to investigate the report, which the Chinese embassy in Manila called “fake news”.

Chinese fishing boats head out to sea in August from Yangjiang, in southern Guangdong province, on the first day of the fishing season. Photo: AFP

Fishing fleets that operate as de facto maritime militias under the control of authorities in Beijing have carried out construction activities at four unoccupied features in the Spratly Islands over the past decade, according to the Western officials, who asked not to be identified to discuss sensitive information. Some sandbars and other formations in the area expanded more than 10 times in size in recent years, they said.

The officials said new land formations have appeared above water over the past year at Eldad Reef in the northern Spratlys, with images showing large holes, debris piles and excavator tracks at a site that used to be only partially exposed at high tide.

They said similar activities have also taken place at Lankiam Cay, known as Panata Island in the Philippines, where a feature had been reinforced with a new perimeter wall over the course of a couple of months last year. Other images they presented showed physical changes at both Whitsun Reef and Sandy Cay, where previously submerged features now sit permanently above the high-tide line.

Asked to respond to the claims, China’s Foreign Ministry in Beijing said: “The relevant report is purely made out of thin air.”

China accuses US of driving wedge between Beijing and Manila

Beijing claims almost all of the resource-rich South China Sea, through which trillions of dollars in trade passes annually. Other claimants include the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

China’s actions have prompted other nations in the region to step up defence spending and also undertake reclamation work. Vietnam expanded dredging and landfill work at several Spratly outposts this year, according to a report this month by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative.

Beijing has ignored a ruling from The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration that its historical claim is without basis.

The Philippine ministry’s statement came just a week after Manila filed a diplomatic protest against Beijing after a Chinese coastguard vessel in November “forcefully” seized debris from a Chinese rocket that was retrieved by a Philippine navy vessel.

Filipinos protest against Beijing’s South China Sea claims at a demonstration outside the Chinese embassy in Manila in 2015. Photo: AFP

The Chinese embassy in Manila denied the use of force and said the handover took place after a “friendly consultation”.

Last week, the Philippine defence ministry also expressed “great concern” over the reported swarming of Chinese vessels in Iroquois Reef and Sabina Shoal, which Manila claims as its territory.

“[President Ferdinand Marco Jnrs’] directive to the department is clear – we will not give up a single square inch of Philippine territory,” acting defence secretary Jose Faustino said after the incident.

Marcos Jnr has insisted he will not let China trample on the Philippines’ maritime rights – in contrast to his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte who was reluctant to criticise the superpower.

The US State Department spokesman this week expressed support to the Philippines on both incidents and called on China to “respect international law”.

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The Chinese embassy hit back on Tuesday, accusing Washington of using the dispute to “stir up troubles”. It acknowledged “differences” with Manila but did not address the alleged swarming incidents directly.

While other countries claiming the sea have also developed parts of the disputed waters, China has been the most aggressive – militarising islands with runways, ports, and radar systems.

Long before the recent surge in tensions, Beijing signed a non-binding “declaration of conduct” with Southeast Asian nations in 2002 that called on parties to refrain from “inhabiting on the presently uninhabited islands, reefs, shoals, cays and other features.”

Additional reporting by Bloomberg