MAY 13 (Reuters) — Philippine military officials traveled to a disputed island held by the Philippines on Monday (May 11) to re-establish its claim amid tensions with Beijing and its reclamation activities in the South China Sea.
China’s rapid reclamation around seven reefs in the Spratlys archipelago of the South China Sea has alarmed claimants, including the Philippines and Vietnam, and drawn growing criticism from U.S. government officials and the military.
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Gregorio Catapang, along with some military officials and journalists, went to Thitu Island, which is known locally as Pagasa, or “Hope” island, was 280 nautical miles from the Philippines and the biggest island occupied by Manila in the contested region.
The island is called Zhongye Dao by the Chinese and Taiwanese and Dao Thi Tu by the Vietnamese who also claim the island.
A welcome ceremony greeted the officials in the 37-hectare (91-acre) island, which boasts a small number of Philippine troops and about 100 people who take advantage of government subsidies to live there.
Catapang told journalists that the trip was to reinstate the Philippines’ claim on the island.
“I’m visiting this place to establish the fact that Pagasa is a municipality of Palawan, and Palawan is a province of the Republic of the Philippines, and therefore, Pagasa is a territory of the Republic of the Philippines,” he said.
The Philippine military had developed a plan to upgrade the nine islands and reefs it holds in the Spratlys.
But those plans were put on ice after the Philippines filed a case with a U.N. tribunal in The Hague in 2013, challenging China’s claims in the South China Sea. China has refused to take part in the arbitration case, which has yet to be heard.
On the horizon, at least two cranes and two dredgers were visible on Subi Reef in the Spratlys archipelago held by China.
Subi Reef lays a mere 14 nautical miles from Thitu, its lights visible at night, Philippine officials said.
China’s creation of artificial islands is happening so fast that Beijing will be able to extend the range of its navy, air force and coastguard before long, experts say.
Dredging at Subi Reef showed a series of landmasses being created that, if joined together, would provide enough land for a 3,000-metre (3,281-yard) airstrip, IHS Janes Defense Weekly said last month.
Catapang said in an interview in April that China was building choke points in the Spratlys, referring to reclamation that would narrow the room for Philippine vessels to move at sea.
Beijing claims most of the potentially energy-rich South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also have overlapping claims.
China has denied accusations its actions are provocative. It recently accused the Philippines, Vietnam and others of carrying out illegal building work in the South China Sea.