PH naming of Kalayaan Island Group features in WPS draws China warning

MANILA, Philippines — China has expressed strong disapproval of the Philippines’ move to assign standardized local names to more than 100 features in the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) in the West Philippine Sea, warning that Beijing would take steps to defend its claims.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing “firmly opposes” any action it believes undermines China’s sovereignty, rights, and interests in the South China Sea.

She accused the Philippines of “illegally delineating” the KIG beyond its territorial scope, saying the features are part of the Spratly Islands, which China calls “Nansha Qundao.”

“The so-called ‘naming’ of relevant islands and reefs in China’s Nansha Qundao… violates China’s territorial sovereignty and goes against the [United Nations] Charter and relevant international laws,” Mao said in a press conference on Wednesday, as quoted in an official transcript.

READ: Marcos: All Kalayaan Island Group features must have Filipino names

“China will do what is necessary to firmly defend its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea,” she added.

China’s remarks came after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. directed all of the more than 100 geographical features in the KIG in the West Philippine Sea to bear local names in government documents and official maps of the country.

Under Executive Order (EO) No. 111, issued on March 26, Marcos ordered the adoption of the standard set of Philippine names for the 131 features of the KIG, which is part of the municipality of Kalayaan in Palawan province.

These include islets, sandbars, atolls, reefs, shoals, and sand cays.

READ: West Philippine Sea: Naming and necessity

“It is imperative to adopt a standard set of Philippine names for the maritime features in the KIG for the efficient administration and governance of the area, and the exercise of the country’s sovereignty in the WPS,” the EO states, citing the National Maritime Council (NMC).

KIG lies on the western section of the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, but its features form part of the West Philippine Sea.

The Philippines laid claim to the KIG in 1955 before occupying Pag-asa in the 1970s. Filipino civilians, soldiers, and their families have since settled there. /dl