Agawan Base: The Issue of Territorial Claims of China and

Philippines in the West Philippine Sea

The territorial claims of China and the Philippines of the West Philippine Sea
have been existing since 2012, however, the sea was referred to as the South China
Sea before the tense of Scarborough Shoal Standoff. Before 2012, the dispute in this
issue was silent not until China place its paramilitary ships around the area to keep the
Filipino ship and boats off from it. As the Philippines was no match to the military
capabilities of China, the issue was taken to international law. A case was filed against
China in 2013 concerning the claims in the West Philippine Sea at the International
Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS). China justifies historic claim which is called the
nine-dash line, it is a boundary that is based on a historic map that was published in
1947. Despite the filed case, according to Masigan (2018), In 2013, China wiped out 1.2
square kilometers of coral reefs on the disputed area just to build artificial islands.
Moreover, in 2015, China built a runaway that stretches to a three-kilometer on Fiery
Cross Reefs. A lot more of the disputed area was taken by China and still not contented
that they use the “Cabbage Strategy”, it is a strategy which ships surround the island to
barricade the water, food, and other supplies.
Behind the driven motivation of China of conquering the West Philippine Sea are
the natural resources that the area has. According to the geopolitical analyst Kaplan,
the West Philippine Sea has the tenth percentile of the fish stocks in the world’s fishing
resource. Also, there are about 7 billion barrels of oil and 900 trillion cubic feet of natural
gas beneath the disputed area. Furthermore, China is known for having an expansionist
ambition. The West Philippine Sea is where 2.2 billion consumers pass through, it
means that when you possess the West Philippine Sea you control the global trade as
well.
As mentioned above, that the Philippines is vulnerable against the force of China
that they decided to resort to international law, which is one of the governing parts of the
United Nation. United Nations is an organization where it assists communication
between state members and be able to achieve their global goals which mostly
impossible to achieve independence as each state depends on each other. Also, it is
founded to prevent another arise in world war. Due to the mediation of the United Nation
in this issue, the right of the Philippines over the West Philippine Sea was mostly
agreed upon by most of the UN members. The support of most countries and member
of the UN assured the protection and leverage for the Philippines' opposition to China.
Overextended period, in 2016, The victory of the Philippines over the West Philippine
Sea was declared by the Permanent Court of Arbitration and stated that the claims of
China on the entire South China Sea included the West Philippine Sea were illegal. As
experts stated that the nine-dash line is vague and disjointed delineation. Despite this
declaration, China keeps on ignoring the legal ruling of the Permanent Court. Knowing
that China is one of the 120 nations of the signatory to the 1994 United Nation’s
convention of the Laws of the Seas. An agreement that is called the Exclusive
Economic Zone, states that waters and lands that are 200 nautical miles from the
offshore of a particular nation are part of its domain. The defiance on the opinion of the
majority of UN members means risking international prestige and influence.
On the latest information about the issue from Mangosing (2020), the President
of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte has decided to set it aside and exchange it for the
country’s loans and economic investments from Beijing. The president also suggests
that the only alternative solution is war, which was discussed earlier that it’s impossible
as the Philippines has no match from China. It seems that the assistance of the UN
members was only squander as the President of the Philippine itself submit the rights to
China. Even though this actions entail to only losing what was the Philippines should
really have posses. In my opinion, the UN is somewhat ineffective when one of the
country is vigorous as for them to coerce is to have a war which is opposite from what
was the UN implementing. That regardless of the exchange of words of each country or
the ruling if the other one can go against it and action is not being carried.

Bibliography
Masigan, A. J. (2018). War in the West Philippine Sea. Philippines: BusinessWorld
Publishing.
Kaplan, R. D. (2014). Aisa’a Cauldron. United States: Random House.
Mangosing F. (2020). PH will show flag ‘at all times’ in West Philippine Sea – Navy
chief. Philippines: INQUIRER.NET.