UNDER PROTEST Photo shows a Chinese research vessel as seen Tuesday at Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal where, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), it was used to dismantle a floating platform illegally installed by the Chinese for “research.” —PHOTO FROM PCG
MANILA, Philippines — Philippine authorities on Wednesday said the floating platform earlier sighted inside the lagoon of Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal had been removed, weeks after Manila filed a diplomatic protest against Beijing over its presence at the disputed area in the West Philippine Sea.
The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) said the latest patrols and monitoring conducted on Wednesday confirmed the removal of the platform from Bajo de Masinloc, the other Philippine name for the shoal.
“The Philippines lodged a formal diplomatic protest against its presence soon after it was detected,” the NTF-WPS said in a statement. “While we take note of the removal, we reiterate our principled and unyielding position: Bajo de Masinloc is and will always be an integral part of Philippine territory.”
On Tuesday night, the Chinese Embassy in Manila acknowledged the existence of the platform and stated its purpose for the first time since Manila called attention to it on May 25.
READ: AFP says Chinese research activities in Panatag may have military use
The embassy’s deputy spokesperson, Guo Wei, described the platform as a temporary scientific research facility established by the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
It was set up to serve as a “sampling and experimental platform” intended to study the shoal’s ecosystem and provide support for environmental protection efforts, Guo said.
He said the “research mission has now been successfully completed.”
The embassy defended the research as a legitimate exercise of China’s sovereignty and consistent with international law, asserting that the shoal— named by Beijing as Huangyan Dao—is Chinese territory.
‘Share’ the data
Reacting to the embassy statement on Wednesday, Rear Adm. Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) challenged China to publicly release the data gathered in the research.
READ: Tarriela challenges China: Release Panatag Shoal research mission data
“If what they did was really for the conservation or preservation of the environment and for the benefit of the world, it would be a good idea for the Chinese Embassy to share with us the data they obtained,” Tarriela told reporters in a chance interview in Pasay City.
The PCG spokesperson maintained that the research activity was unauthorized, saying only the Philippines has the legal right to conduct marine scientific research at Panatag.
The platform was first monitored by Philippine authorities on May 25 during patrol flights conducted by the PCG and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).
The platform, which officials described as a movable floating structure, had an estimated deck area of about 30 square meters. It had four metal stilts that allowed it to remain stationary at specific locations.
Its discovery prompted the Philippines to file a diplomatic protest and demand its immediate removal. On June 16, a day before the removal was confirmed, the Armed Forces of the Philippines warned that the research and surveying activities conducted by the Chinese could also have military applications.
Panatag Shoal has been under China’s effective control since the 2012 standoff between the Philippine Navy and Chinese marine surveillance vessels.
The shoal lies about 926 kilometers from Hainan, China’s southernmost province, and only some 357 km off Palauig, Zambales province. This places it within the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), which extends to roughly 370 km from the nearest Philippine coastline.
Manila continues to assert its rights in the area, citing the 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated China’s sweeping claims in the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea, the waters covering the EEZ.
Timeline
The PCG started sounding the alarm over the platform earlier this month, with Tarriela presenting commercial satellite images of the area and how it changed in a matter of days.
As of May 20, there was still no man-made structure within the lagoon. A day later, two Chinese research vessels—Yue Xia Yu Zhi 20028 and Yue Zhan Yu 6—were spotted.
By May 25, the images showed that a square-shaped object had formed near the southeastern entrance of the shoal. This was further confirmed by flights conducted by the BFAR and PCG.
At least six persons were spotted on the platform on May 30. The following day, the structure was seen being moved from the shoal’s entrance into the lagoon using two service boats operated by 12 to 15 crewmen.
Officials also noted the use of buoys and the installation of an antenna-looking structure near the shoal’s entrance.
On Wednesday, Tarriela reported that the Chinese research vessel Yue Zhang Yu Ke 6 was seen towing the platform on Tuesday.
One vessel remained
But remaining within the shoal as of Wednesday was the smaller Chinese vessel, Yue Xia Yu Zhi 20028, the PCG official said.
“I don’t want to speculate on what they really wanted to do there,” he said. “For us, we address the illegal actions of the People’s Republic of China as they come.”
Philippine authorities would continue exposing and documenting activities in the West Philippine Sea through maritime patrols and surveillance operations, he added.
Like Tarriela, Wednesday’s statement by the NTF-WPS reiterated that only the Philippines has the right to construct structures and conduct activities within Panatag and its territorial sea.
The task force said the AFP, PCG, BFAR and other agencies would continue regular maritime patrols and monitoring operations.
It also called on foreign entities to comply with international law and cease actions that infringe on Philippine sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction. /cb
The post PH says Chinese platform removed from Panatag Shoal appeared first on Inquirer.net.
