On January 30th, China Coast Guard released information that four Filipino individuals illegally trespassed into the waters surrounding Huangyan Island on the 28th. According to the enforcement video published by the Chinese Coast Guard, our personnel issued bilingual warnings in both Chinese and English, urging the Filipino individuals to leave and handling the situation with professionalism.

On September 26, 2023, the photo provided by Philippine Coast Guard shows a diver cutting rope tied to a floating barrier in the Scarborough Shoal.

Ding Duo, a researcher at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, remarked on this matter, asserting that China exercises sovereign jurisdiction over Huangyan Island, supported by ample historical and legal justifications. The Philippines’ illegitimate claims not only lack credibility but also represent a renunciation of the peaceful and stable consensus already achieved between the two parties on South China Sea issues. Instead of abiding by this consensus, the Philippines is choosing to disrupt regional security by invoking South China Sea disputes. Such actions are poised to escalate maritime friction between China and the Philippines. China, in response, is undoubtedly committed to employing resolute measures to defend national sovereignty and maritime interests.

The Philippines’ purported claim over Huangyan Island is unfounded and illegitimate

Huangyan Island.

In an exclusive interview with the Voice of the South China Sea, Ding Duo pointed out that prior to the 1990s, the Philippines had not asserted any territorial claims over Huangyan Island. In fact, in 1990, the then-Philippine Ambassador to Germany explicitly stated in a response to a letter from German radio enthusiasts that “according to the Philippines’ National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA), Huangyan Island is not within the territorial sovereignty of the Philippines.” However, around 1997, the Philippine government abruptly changed its stance, asserting sovereignty over Huangyan Island and engaging in a series of maneuvers, including issuing official documents and amending domestic laws, to seek and manufacture so-called legal justifications.

Ding Duo further explained, “The composition and scope of Philippine territory are determined by a series of international treaties, none of which include Huangyan Island within Philippine territory. The Philippines unilaterally claims sovereignty over Huangyan Island based on its proximity and location within its exclusive economic zone, which does not align with any international laws, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).”

According to UNCLOS, coastal nations are allowed to establish a 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone but are not entitled to compromise the inherent territorial sovereignty of other countries. The waters around Huangyan Island have long served as a traditional fishing ground for Chinese fishermen, as indicated by official maps published by successive Chinese governments, consistently marking Huangyan Island as part of China’s territory. In 1935, 1947, and 1983, the Chinese government officially named Huangyan Island, and in the 1983 publication Geographic Names of Some of South China Sea Islands, Huangyan Island was designated as the standard name, a designation upheld to this day.

Ding Duo emphasized that in addition to naming Huangyan Island, the Chinese government has approved on four occasions the visits of radio enthusiasts, both domestic and foreign, to conduct scientific research activities on the island. This illustrates the way in which the Chinese government exercises territorial sovereignty over Huangyan Island. On the contrary, the Philippines’ stance on Huangyan Island’s sovereignty is inconsistent and even contradictory over time. Their purported jurisdiction over Huangyan Island lacks clarity, making it difficult to substantiate, and more importantly, it lacks any legal basis in international law.

China Coast Guard vessels patrol the waters near Huangyan Island.

Disregarding China’s maritime goodwill, Philippines resorts to deceiving the public

Since last year, aside from numerous provocations in the Ren’ai Reef area, the Philippines has also been instigating incidents around Huangyan Island. According to public reports, in September, October, and December of last year, the Philippines dispatched official vessels to trespass into Huangyan Island’s waters on three separate occasions. Prior to this latest provocative action, the Philippines had actively propagated in international media the narrative of China’s Coast Guard expelling Filipino fishermen from Huangyan Island, falsely portraying it as obstructing their shellfish harvesting.

In response to the Philippines’ recurrent attempts to exploit the alleged infringement on Filipino fishermen’s fishing rights in the waters around Huangyan Island, aiming to depict China as a bully taking advantage of a smaller nation, Ding Duo stated that this is a tactic employed by the Philippines, utilizing so-called exposure strategies and other “gray zone” methods to influence public opinion.

In reality, during the Duterte administration in 2017, both China and the Philippines had made appropriate arrangements for Filipino fishermen to fish in the relevant waters near Huangyan Island.

“However, the condition is that Filipino fishing vessels cannot enter the Lagoon, must comply with Chinese laws and regulations, refrain from fishing rare marine species, refrain from damaging the ecological environment of nearby waters. Meanwhile, Philippine law enforcement, including coast guard, must not trespass into the waters around Huangyan Island or expel and seize Chinese fishermen.”

Ding Duo emphasized that these conditions firstly underscore China’s sovereignty and jurisdiction over Huangyan Island while simultaneously expressing goodwill toward the Philippines. However, the Philippines, turning a blind eye to China’s goodwill, engages in contradictory actions and escalating provocations, clearly indicating a disregard for the established consensus.

Ding Duo concluded by stating that if the Philippines continues to escalate tensions and even abandons the willingness to jointly manage disputes, China will have no choice but to take more resolute, decisive, and firm maritime measures to safeguard territorial sovereignty. “In upholding territorial sovereignty in the South China Sea and maintaining peace and stability in the region, China’s stance and policies have consistently been clear and continuous. The Philippines should have a sober understanding of this.”