Philippine lawmaker eyes turning disputed South China Sea islands into ‘Maldives of the world’

Lawmaker Zaldy Co was part of a delegation to the Spratlys last week that agreed to create a master plan and develop Kalayaan into the new Maldives

The Kalayaan group of islands is located more than 450km (280 miles) west of Palawan, a province facing the South China Sea

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A Philippine flag flutters from BRP Sierra Madre, a Philippine Navy ship. The Philippines has a military garrison on one of the Spratly Islands, a hotly contested outcrop in the resource-rich waterway. Photo: Reuters

Published: 5:48pm, 12 Oct 2023

A lawmaker has suggested the Philippines welcome Chinese tourists to a group of disputed South China Sea islands, which it is aiming to turn into the new “Maldives of the world” even as the country is locked in an increasingly tense maritime row with Beijing.

Zaldy Co said the expedition to the Manila-held islands and reefs in Kalayaan, also known as the Spratly Islands, was a way to make the area productive than flexing military muscle there.

“We want to encourage the master planning of Kalayaan islands. If you look at its eight islands, it looks like Maldives,” Co said. He was part of a congressional delegation that visited the Spratlys last week.

“We’re seeing a potential of not only making it more friendly and maybe we can also attract Chinese tourists to go there.

“So instead of fighting over it, let’s just make the islands productive,” he said.

Philippine lawmakers with residents of Pagasa island in Palawan province. Photo: Instagram/zaldyco

The Philippines has a military garrison on one of the Spratly Islands, a hotly contested outcrop in the resource-rich waterway.