China promised it won’t build any structures at Scarborough: Yasay

February 23, 2017

China has promised to the Philippines it will not build any structure in the Scarborough Shoal in South China Sea, Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. said on Thursday.

"They have told it to us, that they are not building. In fact, if reports are correct, they have also made this commitment to the United States," Yasay told reporters in an interview after a press conference in a hotel in Manila.

Yasay made the remarks after news reports quoted him as saying during his confirmation hearing at the Commission on Appointments there is no official position stating the country has ownership over features and islands in the South China Sea.

An international news agency said China has nearly finished building nearly two dozen structures designed to store surface-to-air missiles in disputed man-made islands.

He recalled China made the commitment to President Rodrigo Duterte of not building any structure in the Scarborough Shoal during his state visit to Beijing in October last year.

"China has indicated, in so far as I understand it, that they will not, they have desisted from building on this," Yasay said.

The Scarborough Shoal, known as Bajo de Masinloc or Panatag Shoal in the Philippines, is located off Zambales province and within the 200 nautical miles exclusive economic zone of the the country.

Asked if there would be a change in the Philippine "friendly" position with China if the latter would build structures in the Scarborough Shoal, Yasay said, "if they will do that, that's going to be a game changer in so far as our tact and what we have agreed upon is concerned on how to pursue our disputes."

He the Philippines is engaging China bilaterally to resolve the disputes.

"But I hope it won't happen and I know China won't do it," he added.

China has built structures in seven disputed islands, reefs and shoals in the South China Sea and it reportedly has put up weapons in some of the man-made islands.

Yasay said that if China really put up weapons system in the disputed area, then it is a violation of the international law, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the July 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration.

But despite this, he said the Philippines has no capacity to engage China in a war. Thus, he said it is important for the Philippines and even the other member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which have claim over the disputed area, to reach a code of conduct with China.

Despite China's activities in the South China Sea, he expressed belief that coming out with a COC with China is "not an exercise in futility."

"It is my view that the majority of member-states of ASEAN maintain that COC, in order to be effective and realistic, must be legally binding," Yasay said.

He also said that other countries, such as the United States, which believe they have stake on the South China Sea, could check China's activities in the disputed waters.

But he said, "our only concern is we cannot join these countries in engaging them in a joint patrol and a joint exercise. That will be a provocative action on our side and our desire to settle peacefully our dispute with China." Celerina Monte/DMS