Beijing poised for ‘de facto control’ of South China Sea, says PH

This combination photo of satellite images taken on Feb. 6, 2015, top, and March 23, 2015, bottom, by Airbus Defence and Space, and distributed by IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly, shows what IHS Jane’s describes as an airstrip on Fiery Cross Reef in a disputed section of the South China Sea. AP

KUALA LUMPUR — Beijing is poised to take “de facto control” of the South China Sea, the Philippines warned on Sunday as it called on fellow Southeast Asian countries to “finally stand up” to their massive neighbor.

Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei claim parts of the strategic South China Sea, but Beijing claims nearly all of it and its increasingly strident assertions of its territorial ambitions have caused concern in the region and beyond.

“(China) is poised to consolidate de facto control of the South China Sea,” Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario told his fellow Southeast Asian ministers at an annual meeting in Kuala Lumpur.

Del Rosario singled out a campaign of land reclamation on disputed reefs that has raised the spectre of permanent Chinese bases far out in the ocean.

“The threats posed by these massive reclamations are real and cannot be ignored or denied,” he said, according to a transcript of his remarks, warning of “urgent and far-reaching” geopolitical implications.

Foreign ministers met a day ahead of a summit by leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) during which the heated maritime issue was expected to be a key topic.

Malaysia is this year’s Asean chair and host of the summit.

‘Stand up for what is right’

Satellite photos that emerged earlier this month showed huge amounts of sand being dredged and dumped onto fragile coral reefs claimed by the Philippines.

READ: IN PHOTOS: China’s reclamation in West Philippine Sea

Defense analysts say the works are creating land masses big enough for airstrips and other large facilities.

The strategic waterway is rich in energy reserves, fishery resources and is a vital conduit for much of world trade, and rising tension over who owns what has raised fears of potential armed conflict.

“Is it not time for Asean to say to our northern neighbor that what it is doing is wrong and that the massive reclamations must be immediately stopped?” del Rosario asked.

“Is it not time for Asean to finally stand up for what is right?”

The Philippines and Vietnam have repeatedly been involved in tense territorial confrontations with China at sea, and have offered the harshest criticism.

Manila is pushing Malaysia to come out with a strong summit statement rebuking China, something that Asean historically has avoided largely due to Beijing’s immense trade and diplomatic leverage.

A draft statement prepared before the gathering began calls for “self-restraint” but avoids direct criticism of China, a diplomatic source said previously.

The final statement could be different, however, based on discussions in Malaysia.

Asean has pushed China for more than a decade to agree on a Code of Conduct at sea that would set rules preventing rival claimants taking steps that could inflame the situation.

Actual discussions only started in 2013 and have progressed slowly, with analysts saying Beijing is delaying to buy more time to consolidate its foothold.

Del Rosario said China will likely complete its reclamation projects before ever agreeing to a code of conduct, which would be rendered “irrelevant.”

Reef damage

President Benigno Aquino III warned in a recent AFP interview that China’s actions “should engender fear for the rest of the world,” and could threaten freedom of navigation.

Manila also has accused China’s coastguard of inciting recent confrontations with Philippine fishing vessels.

Del Rosario provided fellow ministers with data claiming Chinese land reclamation was destroying irreplaceable coral reefs vital to marine diversity.

The satellite photos released this month by the Center for Strategic and International Studies showed a flotilla of Chinese vessels dredging sand onto a feature known as Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands.

Other photos showed a runway and ship harbor taking shape on Fiery Cross, also in the Spratlys, which was little more than a reef when works began late last year.

Similar work is taking place at a handful of other sites.

China has angrily rejected criticism, saying it can do as it pleases in waters that are its “indisputable” territory.

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