The West Philippine Sea (WPS), as we Filipinos call it, the South China Sea (SCS) or whatever anyone else may call it, is located west of the Philippines, east of Vietnam, north of Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore and Indonesia, and south, over 1,000 kilometers from the nearest landmass of Hainan Island, of Imperial China.

Emperor Xi Jinping claims almost the entire sea with his so-called nine-dash line, featuring it in China’s 1947 national map. This absurd claim by the Sino government was rejected by an international arbitral tribunal in July 2016 for having no legal basis.

We know China rejects anything unfavorable to her by any rules-based world institution. Instead, according to the think tank Lowry Institute, it uses mediums like maps to justify “exceptionalism.” With a shady map, Beijing can convey its “maritime territorialization.”

Well, in brief, you know my dear KATRIBU, to add a sensible input to their bogus claim, China cites historical records which supposedly date back to the 2nd century during the Han Dynasty, later during the Song Dynasty, when their Emperors sent out explorers to investigate other parts of Asia. The current Emperor Xi maintains that the island chains it calls Nansha and Xisha islands, or Spratly and Paracels islands, respectively, belong to China.

With China’s superior military and economic power in the region, it employs each and every opportunity to implement control measures in the U-shaped, tongue-like dash line. In August 1995, the first artificial island was constructed. From there, with a strong composite of navy ships, coast guard vessels, a para-military civilian force, including hundreds of fishing boats, China seized, occupied and embarked on massive reclamations at seven different locations.

It then constructed without let-up high-tech military facilities on islets, rocks, reefs and shoals, over the opposition of smaller and militarily weaker nations like the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Taiwan and Brunei. The Philippine government and its people could only shout and cry under the circumstance.

On 7 August 2024, our DAILY TRIBUNE reported that, quoting a Philippine Navy official, “China has further intensified its militarization of Subi (Zamora) Reef near Pagasa Island in the West Philippine Sea.”

Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, the Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, said China had been building additional military structures on the reef, which is part of the Spratly Islands. There were new structures, ongoing construction, and heavy equipment on Subi Reef, where he expressed concern over China’s expansion of its military base on the reef.

The 2016 Arbitral Ruling doesn’t matter to Imperial China since they’re aware that there’s no way their position will stand the test, the legal provisions stipulated in the UNCLOS. Currently, pretty obviously, China intends to choke and physically control the SCS for its military, economic and maritime needs. Over $5 trillion in trade passes through the SCS each year and a China blockade would bring to a halt about a third of the world’s trade.

The Philippines has no military resources to protect and preserve its maritime territories and interests, its seas and EEZ, therefore, it has no choice but to forge new defense alliances. The RP-US Mutual Defense Treaty stands, also those with Australia and India. Recently, pacts with Japan and France were signed and, it seems, many other countries are in line, willing to join us in facing China’s effort to control and choke the SCS.

Expectedly, in almost all the joint military drills and exercises with the US, Australia, Japan, Canada and some new defense partners, the Yellow navy and coast guard are constantly monitoring events.

With Imperial China’s aggressive expansionism, the inevitable consequence is war. For us it’s a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea.

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