NextGen Day

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported on Thursday that THE PHILIPPINES has lodged 189 diplomatic protests against China this year over their conflict in the South China Sea.

The agency released the statement after the Philippines demanded an explanation from China on its seizure of a rocket component that had crashed over the weekend in the South China Sea’s Spratly Islands.

Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Ma. Teresita C. Daza said to reporters through WhatsApp that as of November 22, the DFA has issued 189 protests, 61 of which were made during the present administration.

China claims more than 80% of the South China Sea, which is thought to have enormous oil and gas potential and is used for trade worth billions of dollars annually. It disregarded a 2016 decision of an arbitration court supported by the United Nations that rejected its claim based on a map from the 1940s.

The Philippines has since filed hundreds of protests against what it claims is encroachment and harassment by China’s coast guard and its enormous fishing fleet since it has been unable to execute the verdict.

Parts of the canal are also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam.

Enrique D. Manalo, the secretary of foreign affairs for the Philippines, stated that the government supports the Philippine Navy’s position on the matter.

He told CNN Philippines, “We stand by the vice admiral’s statement, and we are taking that to heart. Because of this, “we have in effect referred it to China in the note verbale and we’d like to see how they reply.”

“We’ll have to decide what to do based on how they respond. We would like to have an official response from China before we can start the process,” he continued.

In the South China Sea on Sunday, a Philippine Navy ship was towing rocket debris when it was allegedly taken by force by a Chinese coast guard vessel.

According to Mao Ning, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, the incident featured “friendly negotiation.”

The floating device was first recovered and towed by individuals on the Philippine side. The Philippines gave the floating object to us after polite negotiations between the two sides took place on the scene, she said.

She explained that the object was leftover payload fairing debris from a Chinese rocket that had been launched. It wasn’t a circumstance when we got in the way and snatched the object.

On Tuesday, Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the president of the Philippines, said he wanted to ask the Chinese why their narrative differed so much from the Philippine Navy report.

He claimed that his trip to China in January would provide a chance to find a solution to stop such accidents.

The Philippines accused China of using water cannons in November of last year to stop its boats from restocking their outpost at Second Thomas Shoal.

The incident happened on Sunday, just as US Vice-President Kamala Harris arrived in the Philippines for discussions aimed at rekindling ties with its Asian ally, which are crucial to US efforts to offset China’s increasingly assertive policies toward Taiwan.

Ms. Harris confirmed US support for the 2016 verdict of the international tribunal during her three-day tour, which also included a stop in Palawan, an island at the edge of the South China Sea.

China has dug the ocean floor to create harbors and airports in the Spratly islands, which are around 320 kilometers (200 miles) from Palawan.

She promised on Monday that if the Philippines were attacked in the waterway, the US would protect it, reiterating Washington’s steadfast support for its former colony.

Ms. Harris made her remarks after meeting Mr. Marcos, who gave her a warm welcome during their encounter in Manila’s presidential palace.

Given what he called changes in the region, Mr. Marcos claimed that the two countries’ close connections had taken on even more significance.

According to him, her trip to the Philippines was a “very significant symbol” of how close the Philippines are to their former colonizer.

Additionally, Mr. Marcos stated that despite going through many phases, Philippine-American relations have improved overall.

According to a fact sheet emailed by the US Embassy in Manila on Monday, the US wants to continue its Enhanced Defense Cooperation Arrangement (EDCA) with the Philippines, which was inked in 2014 and expands upon the Mutual Defense Treaty and 1999 visiting forces agreement. The White House website also featured it.

During the military drills known as Kamandag and Balikatan, US and Philippine forces have also utilized EDCA sites.

According to the announcement, the US has allocated more than $82 million for EDCA implementation at five current sites in the Philippines.

To help the US and the Philippines continue to collaborate to achieve the goals of the military agreement, new EDCA locations have also been found.

Under the late President Benigno S.C. Aquino III, the Philippines, and the US, the nation’s foremost ally in the west, signed the military agreement.

After the US Embassy denied Senator Ronald M. de la Rosa, a close supporter and the man who oversaw his deadly drug war, a visa, his successor Rodrigo R. Duterte threatened to scuttle a visiting forces arrangement with the US.

The highest-level visit to the Philippines by a Biden administration official, Ms. Harris travel there is considered as a component of Washington’s efforts to repair relations with Manila after Mr. Duterte’s government saw Manila move closer to China.

Ms. Harris informed Mr. Marcos, “We stand with you in support of international standards and norms as it relates to the South China Sea.”

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