China ends fishing ban, unveils 'oil offensive'

China has announced that the two-and-half-month summer fishing moratorium in some parts of the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) ended on Wednesday.


In an announcement posted on the Chinese government’s web portal yesterday, China said it has implemented a summer fishing moratorium from May 16 to Aug. 1 as a routine annual measure to rehabilitate the area’s marine resources.


The Chinese government said in May that the annual fishing ban, which has been in place since 1999, covered areas north of the 12th parallel, including Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, which China calls Huangyan Island, but excluding most of the Nansha (Spratly) Islands.


The South China Fishery Administration Bureau under the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) said the fishing ban was adopted to promote the sustainable development of the fishing industry in the West Philippine Sea and protect the fundamental interests of fishermen.


The fishing ban is also applicable to foreign ships.


Chinese enforcement of the ban earlier sparked tensions with Vietnam. Manila also did not recognize the ban, saying it is an “encroachment” of the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).


Panatag Shoal is an integral part of the Philippine territory, 124 nautical miles from the nearest base point in Zambales province. It is within the Philippines’ 200 nautical miles EEZ and continental shelf.


The Philippines’ claim of sovereignty in Panatag Shoal is supported by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and international law is clear in terms of the fact that Panatag Shoal is well within the Philippines 200-nautical mile EEZ and also within its continental shelf.


China stands on a historical claim which the Philippines feels is not supported by UNCLOS. 


Joint exploration difficult without a binding code of conduct


Malacañang admitted yesterday that it would be difficult to enter into joint exploration contracts with China and other claimants in the West Philippine Sea, particularly the Kalayaan Island Group or Spratlys, without a binding code of conduct that would spell out the guidelines for countries.


“It will be very difficult for one or two countries to go in there and simply begin exploring while there’s no set of ground rules in place. The code of conduct seeks to establish ground rules so that if any activity were undertaken in the disputed territories, then they would be consistent with what has been agreed upon. Right now it remains an aspiration until certain agreements can be reached with our claimant countries,” Secretary Ricky Carandang of the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office explained. He also stressed there should be no issue in the Philippines’ inviting bids for oil exploration early this week, saying that the service areas were well within the country’s territory.


“We are bidding out areas for exploration within Philippine territory. This is not part of what is generally considered disputed territory. This is not part of the Spratlys, not part of the Kalayaan Islands. This is part of Philippine territory so we don’t see any problem with that,” he noted. Carandang said that while the contracts contained “no explicit security guarantee,” the Department of Energy, the Philippine Coast Guard and the Philippine Navy would ensure that there were regular patrols to protect investors.


“Remember, we’ve been issuing service contracts for the last 30, 40 years and there have never been issues in the past with regard to the issues that we face now. So service contracts do not have an explicit security guarantee. Having said that though, there are companies that have done exploration in Philippine waters that we’re helping to coordinate,” Carandang said. 


Military steps up territorial patrols


Despite the prevailing weather condition in the West Philippine Sea, China has maintained its presence in Panatag Shoal, only 124 nautical miles from Zambales.


Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said that based on latest monitoring, two Chinese ships continue to linger in Panatag.


“As of this morning, we don’t have an update, but as far as I know there are two (Chinese) ships in the area,” said Gazmin in a media dialogue yesterday.


Gazmin said recent monitoring showed that a Chinese Fishery and Law Enforcement Command (FLEC) and one of its maritime surveillance ships are still in the area.


The Defense chief also confirmed that Chinese ships have already laid down buoys and lines at the entrance of the shoal’s lagoon.


Asked about plans to redeploy Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessels in the area, Gazmin said that there’s no order yet coming from the national leadership. -The Philippine Star (August 03, 2012)