MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will be issuing a formal diplomatic protest against the approval of the State Council of China to establish what it calls “Huangyan Island National Nature Reserve” in Bajo De Masinloc.
In a statement issued on Thursday, DFA Spokesperson Angelica Escalona said that the Philippines strongly protest the “illegitimate and unlawful action by China”, saying it clearly violates international law.
“The Philippines will be issuing a formal diplomatic protest against this illegitimate and unlawful action by China as it clearly infringes upon the rights and interests of the Philippines in accordance with international law,” Escalona said.
According to Escalona, Bajo de Masinloc is a longstanding and integral part of the Philippines over which it has sovereignty and jurisdiction.
“The Philippines likewise has the exclusive authority to establish environmental protection areas over its territory and relevant maritime zones,” she added.
The Philippines also strongly urges China to respect the sovereignty and jurisdiction of the Philippines over Bajo de Masinloc and refrain from enforcing and immediately withdraw its State Council issuance.
The DFA statement also mentioned that China should comply with its obligations under international law, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the final and binding 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award, and the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC).
Earlier, China has approved the creation of a national nature reserve at the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, its government said on Wednesday, as Beijing moves to reinforce its territorial claims and maritime rights in the contested region.
Flashpoint
Scarborough Shoal, which Beijing calls Huangyan Island and which is known in the Philippines as the Panatag Shoal, has long been a flashpoint in the dispute between Beijing and Manila over sovereignty over and fishing access to a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, overlapping the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. Unresolved disputes have festered for years over ownership of various islands and features.
In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague ruled that China's sweeping claims in the region were not supported by international law, a decision that Beijing rejects.
Tensions have simmered in recent years in the strategic waterway. Last month, Manila and Beijing traded accusations over an encounter at the Scarborough Shoal that resulted in the first known collision between Chinese vessels in the area.
The designation of the nature reserve is "an important guarantee for maintaining the diversity, stability, and sustainability of the atoll’s natural ecosystem," China’s State Council said.
The specific boundaries and zoning of the reserve will be announced separately by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, it added.
(Reporting by Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Tomasz Janowski and Louise Heavens / REUTERS)
