Naval authorities have pulled down another Chinese marker at a reef in the disputed Spratlys Islands – which was reportedly installed by Chinese nationals three days after the Philippines filed a related diplomatic protest against China.
“Our local fishermen reported seeing the markers last June 5," said Naval Forces West commander Commodore Edgardo Tamayo in a phone interview.
Three days before this, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) conveyed to the Chinese Embassy its protest “over the increasing presence and activities of Chinese vessels including naval assets in the West Philippine Sea," also called the South China Sea.
Informants suspected the people who installed the markers to be Chinese, Tamayo added, but the officer said he could not confirm this.
He also said the marker resembled the one that the Navy earlier found and dismantled at the Amy Douglas Bank. “That marker had the same description, [and was] about 10 feet [in length] and four inches [in width]. It appears that it’s a flat bar," Tamayo said.
He also noted the need to abide by the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, signed by China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 2002. The code calls for a status quo among the claimant countries, namely, the Philippines, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei, and Vietnam.
“When we say status quo, we should refrain from putting up anything, like structures, markers that would raise tension or raise conflict," Tamayo explained.
Meanwhile, Malacañang on Wednesday welcomed the statement of the Chinese Foreign Ministry that Beijing will not use force to settle the Spratlys dispute. — PE/VS
