Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Monday reiterated that the Philippines "will never give up" Julian Felipe Reef (Whitsun Reef) even as he suggested that its features could be used by the country for purposes including military outposts.
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Locsin was responding to the claims made by a spokesperson of China’s Mission in Brussels that the Julian Felipe Reef (Niu’E Jiao in Chinese) “belongs to China”.
“Well, it doesn’t. It belongs to the Philippines whatever native journalists are paid to say to the contrary. The Philippines will never give it up,” Locsin said in a tweet.
While the Philippines will settle the issue of Julian Felipe Reef with China, Locsin suggested that these features could be used by the Philippines for other purposes such as establishing its own military outposts.
“Now that makes sense; we’ll settle this between ourselves but in the meanwhile, we’ll use these features as the owners of them we are; e.g. military outposts,” the country’s top diplomat said.
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Although the dispute is between the Philippines and China, Locsin stated that the situation will fall under the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) “until the other side sinks a Philippine vessel.”
Signed in August 1951, the MDT commits the Philippines and the US to help each other if either of them is under external armed attack in the Pacific.
Over the weekend, the European Union (EU) has criticized China’s latest aggressive actions in the South China Sea, referring to the recent deployment of more than 240 fishing and militia vessels in the Julian Felipe Reef which is well within the Philippines exclusive economic zone.
“Tensions in the South China Sea, including the recent presence of large Chinese vessels at Whitsun Reef, endanger peace and stability in the region,” the EU said in a statement on Saturday, April 24, 2021.
The EU likewise reiterated its strong opposition to “any unilateral actions” that could undermine regional stability and the international rules-based order, even as it expressed its commitment to a “secure, free, and open maritime supply routes in the Indo-Pacific” that is in full compliance with international law, specifically the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
“We urge all parties to resolve disputes through peaceful means in accordance with international law, in particular UNCLOS, including its dispute settlement mechanisms,” the European body said.