Duterte to 'raise the Philippine flag' in South China Sea
April 6, 2017
The Philippine president has ordered troops to deploy to the South China Sea to assert the country's regional claims. Duterte's plan is likely to anger China, which claims the majority of the region.
The islands have several rival claimants including Beiing. China asserts sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, over which about $5 trillion (4.7 trillion euros) worth of seaborne goods pass every year. Despite protests from its Southeast Asian neighbors, Beijing has built reefs into artificial islands able to house military planes.
Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan also have claims in the disputed waterway, and the Philippines is just joining the crowded race to control territory in the area, Duterte said.
"It looks like everybody is making a grab for the islands there, so we better live on those that are still vacant," he said during a visit to a military camp on the western island of Palawan, near the disputed Spratly island group.
The controversial president initially implemented a non-confrontational approach to the strategically important waters as he sought billions of dollars in investments and grants from Beijing.
Despite the fast-warming relationship, Duterte, who joked on the campaign trail that would jet ski to a Chinese man-made island to reinforce Manila's claim, has again changed his tone. It was now the time "erect structures there and raise the Philippine flag," he said Thursday.
Last June, Chinese coast guard vessels prevented a Philippine nationalist group from planting a national flag on a rock outcrop in another part of the South China Sea.
"I have ordered the armed forces to occupy all. At least, let us get what is ours now and make a strong point there that it is ours," Duterte said..
He added Manila was claiming "nine or 10" land masses in the Spratly Islands, a disputed group of 14 islands, reefs or cays, including a marooned naval ship. The vessel intentionally grounded atop the Second Thomas Shoal in the late 1990s in response to China's occupation of Mischief Reef.
Duterte also said he "may" visit the Philippine-claimed areas on June 12 to mark the 119th year of Philippine independence from more than three centuries of Spanish rule.
"In the coming Independence Day, I may go to Pagasa Island to raise the flag there," Duterte said, using the local name for Thitu, the largest of the Philippine-controlled Spratly Islands. The island is just 26 kilometers (16 miles) northeast of Subi Reef, one of seven man-made islands that China is accused of militarizing with ground-to-air missiles.
While the Philippine military currently has garrisons on Thitu, Duterte said he planned to add a barracks for military personnel operating in the area.
Duterte's announcement came two days after Manila's acting foreign minister said China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations had taken steps forward outlining a code of conduct in the South China Sea.
Satellite images show the extent and speed of China's land reclamation activities in disputed waters of the South China Sea. The new land masses are believed to be primarily military installations.
Image: CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative/DigitalGlobe
Runway
China is expanding the construction of its facilities on Fiery Cross Reef. Provided by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), this June 28, 2015 photo reveals Beijing has nearly completed a 3,000 meter (9,800-foot) airstrip, long enough to accommodate most Chinese military aircraft. Two helipads, up to 10 satellite communications antennas, and one possible radar tower are also visible.
Image: CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative/DigitalGlobe
Expansion
Reclamation on Fiery Cross Reef, which lies on the west side of the Spratly Islands, began in August of 2014 and its principal landmass was finished by November. Dredgers have created a land mass that spans the entire existing reef and is approximately 3,000 meters long and 200-300 meters wide.
Image: Reuters//U.S. Navy
Facilities
This picture taken last November shows construction work being carried out on Fiery Cross Reef. The reef reportedly already houses a helicopter landing pad, a 300-meter-long wharf, a harbor large enough to dock military tankers, barracks and artillery emplacements.
Image: CSIS, IHS Jane's
South Johnson Reef
This reef was one of the first facilities to finish principal land reclamation. This recent picture shows that a radar tower is nearing completion at the north end of the land mass. According to AMTI, a new large multi-level military facility has been built in the center of the island. Up to six surveillance towers are being constructed alongside four possible weapons towers.
Image: Asia Maritime Transparency Iniative
A naval base?
Beginning in early 2015, Mischief Reef - also located in the Spratlys - has undergone extensive reclamation activity. Experts say that the recent widening of the southern entrance to the reef, coupled with sightings of Chinese navy vessels, may suggest a future role for the reclaimed reef as a naval base. Taken on March 17, this image shows a chain of small land formations at the reef.
Image: CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative/DigitalGlobe
From reef to island
Significant construction on Gaven Reef began in 2014, with a total of 114,000 square meters of land already created. Satellite pictures show just how fast construction has progressed on the reef. A new artificial island was created between March (left) and August (right) 2014.
According to AMTI, China has had a troop garrison on Gaven Reef since 2003, which has included a large supply platform where ships can dock. Experts say a new main square building in the reef appears to be an anti-aircraft tower.
Image: AMTI
A standardized process
As seen in this image, the basic process of expanding these features involves dredging sand from the seafloor and dumping it onto the reefs. The structure is raised above the high water line, hiding the status of the bank or reef beneath. The sand is then smoothed out and workers surround the island with a concrete barrier to protect against erosion and storm surge, and begin construction.
Image: CSIS
'Historic rights'
China claims most of the potentially energy-rich waterway, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. The US Pacific Fleet commander recently said China was "creating a great wall of sand" in the South China Sea, causing serious concerns about its territorial intentions. Beijing argues it is asserting its so-called "historic rights" to maritime resources in the area.
Image: DW
Territorial disputes
The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have overlapping claims, which have led to territorial disputes in the area. Last summer, China's deployment of a massive oil rig in waters also claimed by Hanoi escalated tensions in the region, sparking a standoff at sea and violent anti-Chinese demonstrations in Vietnam.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo
US concerns
Washington is concerned China's efforts carry a military dimension that could undermine the US' naval and economic power in the Pacific, and has weighed sending warships and surveillance aircraft within 12 nautical miles of the new artificial islands. Washington has repeatedly called on Beijing and others to end reclamation projects in the disputed waters, but Beijing rejects those demands.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/M. Abbugao
Ecological impact
The Philippines filed a formal plea at the UN last year, challenging Beijing's territorial claims. Manila said China's reclamation activities are causing "irreversible and widespread damage to the biodiversity and ecological balance of the South China Sea." It also claimed that the destruction of coral reef systems is estimated to cause economic losses valued at $100 million annually.