EU throws support behind PH amid Chinese ‘nature reserve’ plans in WPS

By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora, Philippine News Agency

In a statement on Saturday, the delegation urged parties to refrain from taking unilateral actions that may “alter the status quo” in the area. (File photo: Guillaume Périgois/Unsplash)

MANILA – The European Union Delegation in Manila conveyed its support to the Philippines’ maritime entitlements in Scarborough Shoal as China attempts to build a “nature reserve” on the feature.

In a statement on Saturday, the delegation urged parties to refrain from taking unilateral actions that may “alter the status quo” in the area.

“The EU stands in support of Philippine maritime entitlements and sovereign rights under international law, as upheld by the Arbitral Tribunal in 2016. We urge all parties to respect the 2016 Arbitration Award and UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea),” it said, from a quoted repost of the Philippine government’s objection of the Chinese move.

“Disputes should be resolved peacefully and any attempt to alter the status quo in disputed waters by unilateral action must be avoided,” it added.

The Chinese government publicized on Wednesday its State Council’s “approval” of the Chinese Ministry of Natural Resources’ request to establish the reserve in the Scarborough Shoal, which it plans to call the Huangyan Dao National Nature Reserve.

Bajo de Masinloc is a longstanding and integral part of the Philippines over which it has sovereignty and jurisdiction.