Navy: China reclaimed 3,000 hectares in SCS

MARINE DAMAGE The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said in June that crushed corals found on Escoda (Sabina) Shoal may be a sign of reclamation activities in the area. —Photo from PCG

MANILA, Philippines — Beijing’s reclamation activities in the South China Sea (SCS), including parts of the West Philippine Sea (WPS), have reached about 3,000 hectares, a Philippine Navy official said on Tuesday, likening these to a “creeping invasion.”

Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad, the Philippine Navy spokesperson, said at a press briefing that “the total reclaimed area within our exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and out of our EEZ, I think is roughly around 3,000 hectares.”

“Is there a creeping invasion? Yes, and this has begun since 1992 since we started noticing Chinese markers in the expanse of the West Philippine Sea and the South China Sea,” he added.

READ: Task force steps up WPS watch amid reclamation by the Chinese

A 2016 Pentagon report said that China has reclaimed more than 3,200 acres (around 1,300 hectares) of land in the southeastern part of the South China Sea.

Militarized bases

According to Trinidad, Beijing’s major bases in the vital waterway like Subi (Zamora), Mischief (Panganiban) and Johnson Reefs were “already militarized.”

“They have airstrips. They have harbors for warships. There are structures on land that we could only surmise are aircraft hangars. They have military-grade communications equipment,” he said. In Subi, there was heavy equipment, as well as structures being built, he added.

Mischief and Johnson Reefs are within the country’s 370-kilometer EEZ.

Maritime law expert and University of the Philippines law professor Jay Batongbacal earlier said that Mischief Reef was “the largest artificial island” in the South China Sea with port facilities that service the People’s Liberation Army’s Navy, China Coast Guard and China maritime militia fleets.

He said the reef was “armed with anti-air and antiship missiles, radars, jammers and it is also the closest Chinese military base to the Philippines.”

Beijing continued its militarization and reclamation activities in the South China Sea despite a 2016 arbitral ruling invalidating its expansive claims in the strategic waterway.

PH ship still at shoal

Trinidad said the Philippine Coast Guard’s BRP Teresa Magbanua has remained at Escoda (Sabina) Shoal following the reported presence of Chinese maritime militias and reclamation activities in the area.

But Beijing’s so-called “monster” ship, the 165-meter China Coast Guard vessel, has also been anchored in the resource-rich shoal since July 3.

Trinidad added that the military has also monitored the presence of the Chinese research vessel Ke Xue San Hao at Escoda, after leaving Mischief Reef.

He said that according to the Department of Foreign Affairs, there was no request from the ship to survey the area.

“We are monitoring their presence. We are checking if the presence of those crushed corals are man-made. To ensure that they are not man-made, we have stationed our own ship there,” Trinidad told reporters.

On Tuesday, the AFP said the number of Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea has increased.

It reported that 122 Chinese vessels, including three Chinese warships, have been swarming in various areas of the WPS from July 30 to Aug. 5 compared to the 104 Chinese vessels monitored the week before. INQ