Philippines protests China’s new map claim on Scarborough Shoal

The Philippines government on Tuesday protested against Chinese escalation in the South China Sea by declaring baselines around the disputed Scarborough Shoal.

Radio Free Asia reported that the Philippines accused China of such action and called it a violation of “the long-established sovereignty of the Philippines’ coast.”

According to Radio Free Asia, China announced the baseline for its territorial sea around the shoal, which lies within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), in a move aimed at strengthening its territorial claims over the disputed area.

Beijing also claimed 64 islands falling within the territory of another country.

The Philippine Presidential Office for Maritime Concerns said, “China’s establishment of the baseline around the shoal is a continuation of the illegal seizure of the shoal in 2012, which the Philippines continues to strongly oppose.”

A Foreign Ministry spokesman in Beijing said, “This is a natural step by the Chinese government to legally strengthen maritime management and is in line with international law and common practices.” As Radio Free Asia reported, he/she further said that the Chinese declaration of the baseline adjacent to Huangyan Dao is “in accordance with international law”.

In 2016, a UN arbitration tribunal rejected China’s claim to reefs in the South China Sea, including Scarborough Shoal.

Scarborough Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc is a triangular-shaped line of rocks located 125 nautical miles off Luzon, the main island of the Philippines. Currently, this coast is subject to Philippine, Chinese and Taiwanese territorial claims; However, since 2012, China has gained de facto control over the region.

A baseline under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS, is a line parallel to the coastline of a country or island, from which the territorial sea and other areas, including the exclusive economic zone and the extended continental shelf, extend. it occurs. , is measured.