Chinese dredging vessels are purportedly seen in the waters around Mischief Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea in this still image from video taken by a P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft provided by the United States Navy May 21, 2015. — U.S. NAVY/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS/FILE PHOTO

By Beatriz Marie D. Cruz and Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, Reporters

THE PHILIPPINES on Thursday urged China to remove “illegal structures” and stop what it called the militarization in the South China Sea.

“We call on China to remove all these illegal structures, cease reclamations in the South China Sea, and be accountable for the damages caused by these illegal activities,” Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Ma. Teresita C. Daza said in a statement.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately reply to a Viber message seeking comment.

Ms. Daza noted that in 1995, when Manila protested China’s construction of a structure at Mischief Reef, China had promised that it was only a “fisherman’s shelter.”

The reef, which the Philippines calls Panganiban, has since become a “militarized artificial island,” Ms. Daza said.

Mischief Reef, which is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), is also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam.

The Philippines deliberately grounded a World War II-era ship, the BRP Sierra Madre, at Second Thomas Shoal in 1999 to assert its sovereignty after China seized Mischief Reef.

Chinese vessels on Nov. 10 fired a water cannon at Philippine vessels trying to deliver food and other supplies to BRP Sierra Madre at Second Thomas Shoal, which the Philippines calls Ayungin.

The Philippine Embassy in Beijing filed a diplomatic protest against China after the incident, it said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a news briefing on Nov. 10 the Philippine vessels had “seriously violated China’s sovereignty.”

“China urges the Philippines to immediately stop causing trouble and provocation at sea,” Mr. Wenbin said. “The Philippines should tow away the illegally beached warship as soon as possible.”

Ms. Daza said that Second Thomas Shoal is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, and its resupply missions follow international law and are not meant to threaten China.

“The resupply mission and the upkeep of the BRP Sierra Madre are legitimate Philippine government activities in our EEZ, and in accordance with international law,” she said.  “We are being asked to give prior notification each time we conduct a resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal. We will not do so.”

China cannot lawfully exercise sovereignty over Second Thomas Shoal after a United Nations-back tribunal voided its claim to more than 80% of the South China Sea in 2016, Ms. Daza said.

Second Thomas Shoal is 106.3 nautical miles off the Philippine island of Palawan and 617.39 nm from mainland China, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said, adding that the latter is “clearly beyond the 200 nm maximum maritime entitlement for an EEZ under UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea).”

Ms. Daza said a “favorable and conducive environment is essential to the peaceful resolution of the South China Sea situation.”

Dozens of Chinese militia vessels appeared to have left Iroquois Reef between Nov. 11 and 12, Raymond Powell of the Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation said in an X post, citing satellite images.

The Philippines in September flagged the destruction of corals at the reef, a land feature at the southern end of Reed Bank, where Chinese vessels have also been seen.

Reed Bank, an area northeast of the Spratly Islands, is thought to be rich in oil and gas, according to the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative.

Both Iroquois Reef and Reed Bank fall within the Philippines 200-nautical mile EEZ.

On Wednesday night, the Defense chiefs of the Philippines and US called out Beijing for its dangerous maneuvers against American aircraft and ships operating in the South China Sea.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin said Washington “stands shoulder to shoulder” with the Philippines “in defending its sovereign rights and jurisdiction in its EEZ.”

They met on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus.

The two Defense chiefs “reaffirmed their countries’ shared vision of a free and open region grounded in transparency, the rule of law, respect for sovereignty, and the peaceful resolution of disputes,” according to a joint statement.

“The secretaries discussed the importance of preserving the rights of all nations to fly, sail and operate safely and responsibly wherever international law allows,” it said.

“In this context, they denounced the recent harassment by vessels from the People’s Republic of China towards Philippine Coast Guard and resupply vessels conducting lawful resupply operations around Second Thomas Shoal.”

The Philippines filed 125 diplomatic protests against China from July 2022 to Nov. 7, according to DFA.

Meanwhile, Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. met with US Vice-President Kamala Harris on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in San Francisco.

“They reaffirmed the strength of the alliance between the United States and the Philippines and discussed ongoing efforts to deepen our security ties and expand commercial and economic cooperation,” according to a statement from the White House posted on its website.

“They also reiterated their shared commitment to upholding international rules and norms, including in the South China Sea,” it added.

Mr. Marcos left the Philippines on Tuesday for the APEC forum. His weeklong trip also includes a visit to the US Indo-Pacific Command headquarters in Hawaii.

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