Maritime law expert urges Chinese ambassador’s expulsion amid WPS incidents

The Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines and the Chinese Embassy’s staff should be removed as their duty to uphold diplomatic affairs is not being met, a maritime law expert said over the weekend.

In Jun Veneracion’s report on GMA’s “24 Oras Weekend” on Sunday, Dr. Jay Batongbacal said the Chinese Embassy has not been helpful in addressing the ongoing issues involving the West Philippine Sea located within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

“Wala po talagang naitutulong ‘yung kanilang ambassador at embassy staff. Kailangan nating pauwiin na mga ‘yan dahil seryoso talaga itong nangyaring ito at dapat kung mag-uusap tayo ay mag-usap tayo nang matino,” he said.

“Hindi dahilan na magkagiyera dahil may nawalan ng daliri. Bagamat seryoso ‘yun, kailangan pa rin ayusin ‘yun sa pamamagitan ng diplomasya, ng peaceful means,” he added.

(The ambassador and the embassy staff will not be able to help. We need to send them home because what happened is really serious, and if we are to talk, we should talk properly.

Losing a finger is not a reason for war. While it is serious, the matter needs to be addressed through diplomacy, through peaceful means.)

Huang Xilian is the current Chinese ambassador to the Philippines.

Just last week the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) reported that a service member of the Philippine Navy suffered a “severe injury” from a collision between a Chinese ship and a local veseel performing a regular rotation and resupply (RORE) mission in the Ayungin Shoal.

It was later revealed that the service member lost a thumb during the incident, which has been denounced by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Pentagon.

The vessel was conducting a RORE mission to the BRP Sierra Madre which has been at the Ayungin Shoal since 1999. The ship manned by more than a dozen Marines and sailors has become a symbol of Philippine sovereignty in the offshore territory.

Ayungin is located 105.77 nautical miles from the nearest Philippine province of Palawan and constitutes part of the country’s 200-nautical mile continental shelf as provided under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

“Regardless of what we bring on board an active commissioned Philippine Navy vessel, the BRP Sierra Madre is not their concern. It’s impossible for us to violate PRC’s (People’s Republic of China) sovereignty when these waters don’t even legally belong to them,” the Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela said.

Beijing on Saturday, June 15, started its “no trespassing” policy that allowed the China Coast Guard to detain “foreign trespassers” in its massive territorial claims for up to 60 days without trial.

This comes as China has refused to acknowledge an international tribunal’s 2016 ruling that invalidated its nine-dash line. Its government in 2022 claimed that it will continue to adhere to what it described as a “friendly consultation” with the Philippines after several Chinese vessels have been found “swarming” areas in the West Philippine Sea.

The Philippines has already filed a total of 153 diplomatic protests against China regarding the territorial dispute under the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. — Jon Viktor D. Cabuenas/BM, GMA Integrated News