Name: GARDON, Jasmine A.

Date: October 13, 2023

Section: HT209ITM Professor: Ms. Katherine Ann Magracia

Case Study: South China Sea – West Philippine Sea Dispute

Introduction:

The West Philippine Sea or also known as the South China Sea is a sea that holds great
economic and strategic significance. This sea is also valuable as it is rich in natural resources,
and marine life (Ahmad, 2023), which can provide livelihood for many people. Therefore, it is
only natural that there would be a territorial dispute between the two neighboring countries
mainly China and the Philippines.

Issues:

The territorial dispute between the two neighboring countries have been going on for years,
despite the fact that the Philippines have already won legally over China 7 years ago through
arbitral proceeding (ADRi International Conference, 2023). However, this wasn’t
acknowledged by China, and 7 years have passed yet they are still adamant in invalidating
the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration. According to a statement reported by ABS-
CBN news (2023), the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines said that "The
award is illegal, null and void. China does not accept or recognize it and will never accept any
claim or action based on the award…".

Over the past years, China have made actions in order to strengthen territorial claims on the
West Philippine Sea and this include building an artificial island called Hughes Reef in the
West Philippine Sea. According to Carpio A. (2022), the Hughes Reef is now 7.6 hectares,
and already falls within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Philippines. According to
UNCLOS (n.d) it refers to a portion of the ocean up to 200 nautical miles (370 km) offshore of
a nation's land coast where that nation has the sole authority to explore for and exploit natural
resources. With this it is considered illegal under UNCLOS the reclamation of China into an
artificial Island. Besides, building an artificial island the Chinese Coast Guard and Militia
Vessels have been also harassing Filipino Troops (Presidential Communication Office, 2023),
and shooing Filipino fishermen (Abad, 2023).

Solutions:

The best solution in this territorial dispute have already been made in the year 2013, and that
is when the Philippines filed a case and won against China. However, this was invalidated by
China. Therefore, the solution that can be done now is strengthening the Armed Forces of the
Philippines in order to protect the fishermen and or the country from any possible threats from
China.
Name: GARDON, Jasmine A. Date: October 13, 2023
Section: HT209ITM Professor: Ms. Katherine Ann Magracia

Conclusion:

Overall, the territorial dispute between Philippines and China is a serious problem as it is a big
threat for the safety and security of the Filipino’s. Specially, when considering that the
Philippine is weak against China in terms of military power. However, the harassment and
violation of China to the Philippines territory and its people cannot be ignored. Therefore,
further actions from the government regarding this issue should be needed.

References:

Ahmed, Z. (2023, July 21). 9 interesting west Philippine Sea facts you must know. Marine
Insight. https://www.marineinsight.com/know-more/west-philippine-sea-facts/

ADRi International Conference: “The 7th year of the arbitral victory: Defending the west
Philippine Sea, the Indo-Pacific, and the rules-based order”. (2023, August 23). Stratbase ADR
Institute. https://adrinstitute.org/2023/07/12/adri-international-conference-the-7th-year-of-the-
arbitral-victory-defending-the-west-philippine-sea-the-indo-pacific-and-the-rules-based-order/

ABS-CBN news. (2023, July 13). China still regards Hague ruling on South China Sea illegal
seven years on. ABS-CBN News. https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/13/23/7-years-on-
china-still-calls-hague-ruling-on-s-china-sea-illegal

Leon, M. D. (2022, October 25). [Analysis] China’s artificial island building: Implications on
security, stability, and peace. RAPPLER. https://www.rappler.com/voices/thought-
leaders/analysis-china-artificial-island-building-implications-security-stability-peace/

(n.d.).United
Nations. https://www.un.org/depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/unclos_e.pdf

Filipino troops in high morale despite being constantly harassed in the West Philippine Sea –
AFP. (2023, October 7). GOVPH. https://pco.gov.ph/news_releases/filipino-troops-in-high-
morale-despite-being-constantly-harassed-in-the-west-philippine-sea-afp/

Abad, M. (2023, January 21). Chinese coast guard shooed away PH fishing boat from Ayungin
shoal – PCG. RAPPLER. https://www.rappler.com/nation/china-coast-guard-shooed-away-
filipino-fishing-boat-ayungin-shoal/