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The Philippines and Spratly Islands: A Losing Battle
Territorial Map of Spratly Islands. As countries scramble to occupy and construct in as many islands as they can, the marine ecosystem slowly suffers from the constant warfare and development. Photo by US Department of State, Office of the Geographer & General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans.
What has more than 750 reefs and islands, has been claimed by 5 different countries, and has been the center of political disputes since the 1900s? Answer: the Spratly Islands, located off the coast of the Philippines and Malaysia. This region has been claimed by both of these nations as well as China, Vietnam, Brunei and Taiwan. Despite the political dilemma synonymous with them, the general American public is mostly unaware that these islands exist.
What can the Spratly Islands have to offer? Combined, they barely have 4 square kilometers of land spread out in over 450,000 square kilometers of sea. This makes the construction of infrastructure almost impossible, making the islands uninhabitable. Yet countries around the Pacific have been constantly claiming islands, disputing their opponents’ claims, and using military intimidation for the past 20 years. This is due to the islands’ rich marine ecosystem, gas and oil deposits, and ideal location for military strategies. Fortunately, there has been no drastic large-scale military clash between these five countries as of yet. However, there have been smaller incidents where two countries have clashed and used military force to assert their possession over specific islands. For example, the 1988 altercation at Johnson Reef between the Chinese Navy and Vietnamese Navy (Torode 2013) resulted in the deaths of 64 Vietnamese soldiers that sparked protests in Hanoi as well as in Vietnamese communities in the United States.
In 2002, China and the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations signed the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea & West Philippine Sea (WPS) that aimed “to resolve their territorial and jurisdictional disputes by peaceful means, without resorting to the threat or use of force, through friendly consultations and negotiations by sovereign states directly concerned” (ASEAN 2002). This has created a tense stalemate that can change at any time. Tensions increased when the Sulu Sultanate from the Philippines attacked North Borneo in early March 2013. North Borneo is part of Sabah, a member state of Malaysia that has claimed the Spratly Islands.
There are several historical, political and economic reasons behind these countries’ territorial claims over the Spratly Islands. Ideally, the Spratly Islands should go to the country that is most equipped and most qualified to sustainably develop the islands’ resources and protect their diverse marine ecosystems; however, that is no small feat and none of the five countries involved in this territorial dispute are known for their green technology. Some have called for military intervention by the United States. Smaller countries such as the Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam have been fighting China’s military intimidation for the past 20 years (Lohman 2009). China’s historical claim to the islands is weak; however, its strong military intimidation has kept it a key player in the Spratly Islands dispute.
Some argue that the Philippines should take sovereignty over Spratly Islands because it has had the most success and experience with maintaining marine ecosystems, plus the islands are well within the Philippine exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The Philippines has almost 10% of the world’s marine protected areas (MPAs), which were created in response to the country’s rampant cyanide and dynamite fishing in the 1970s and 1980s (Yan 2012). No one can pass through, fish or dive in MPAs except to conduct scientific research. With more than 500 MPA sites within Philippine waters, the government as well as the military is highly experienced in dealing with marine ecosystems and management. Furthermore, the MPAs have shown signs of great success in conservation.
However, the Philippines is not a perfect country. Despite its success, there are still lingering problems within Philippine politics that should be solved in order to effectively address the dispute over the Spartly Islands. The 1951 United States-Philippine Mutual Peace Treaty implies a role for the United States in addressing this territorial dispute and supporting the Philippines, but so far the United States has remained fairly aloof. Yet the Philippines is the strongest ally of the United States among all the countries vying for the islands. It would be advantageous for the United States to support the Philippines’ claim over the Spratly Islands because the United States can benefit from the resources from the rich ecosystem and the strategic location of the islands. Unfortunately, the United States has refused to take sides on the matter. The United States Department of State released a press statement stating that they are closely monitoring the issue but will not take a position on the matter (Ventrell 2012). This almost ignores the Philippines involvement in the dispute and shows that despite the Philippines’ history of cooperation with the United States, they are doing nothing to support their strongest Southeast Asian allies.
Without United States support, the Philippines is reluctant to make aggressive claims over the Spratly Islands in fear of military retaliation from China. Sadly, the situation is not getting any better as the United States has been showing reluctance in helping the Philippines in environmental matters. Instead of advocating for more United States support, the Philippines has kept relatively subdued about the issue. A controversial journalist from the Manila Bulletin writes, “The Philippines is a weak republic that, like a church mouse, occasionally roars like a lion, and settles down like a lapdog” (Villanueva 2013).
USS Guardian right over Tubbataha Reef will be dismantled and lifted of the reef in the coming months. Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Anderson Bomjardim of the US Navy.
Many Filipino politicians, including Villanueva, have pointed out the lack of United States reciprocity with the Philippines. An example of this is the recent crashing of a United States warship on one of the Philippine’s most treasured coral reefs. Tubbataha Reef is an MPA as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (UNESCO 1993). The USS Guardian, a minesweeper, ran off course and crashed into the site, causing more than 4000 square meters of damage (Lendon 2013). The Philippine government decided to forego fining the United States Navy and simply asked for $100,000 in compensation.
This is not just an environmental issue, but also a political issue in which the “United States disregards Filipino sensitivity and treats Philippine sovereignty with impunity” (Villanueva 2013). The reef is an MPA and is protected by an international treaty that prohibits the entry of armed ships into Philippines waters, so why did the USS Guardian crash into the reef despite warnings from park officials? If this is a shining example of the Philippines control over their marine ecosystems as well as their handling of United States cooperation then something is amiss.
If the Philippines hopes to gain control over the Spratly Islands, they are likely going to need the firm public support of the United States. Ideally, the United States would act as a mediator between its strongest Southeast Asian ally and its rival, China. The United States should proactively organize talks between all the countries claiming the islands and urge for a peaceful resolution to the dispute, as military intervention will cause more damage to the reefs surrounding the islands. However, the Philippines should not stand for subjugation from the United States, but rather implore the United States to recognize the Philippines as an important ally and reciprocate with adequate support for the Philippines claims.http://bit.ly/11CuhBS
by Britanny Cheng
SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
Works Cited:
1.) Association of Southeast Asian Nations (2002) Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea. Retrieved fromhttp://www.asean.org/asean/external-relations/china/item/declaration-on-...
2.) Lendon, Brad (2013) US Navy warship will have to be lifted off Philippine reef from CNN. Retrieved fromhttp://www.cnn.com/2013/01/25/world/asia/us-navy-ship-aground
3.) Lohman, Walter (2009) Spratly Islands: The Challenge to U.S. Leadership in the South China Sea from The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved fromhttp://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2009/02/spratly-islands-the-cha...
4.) Torode, Greg (2013) Spratly Islands dispute degines China-Vietnam relations 25 years after naval crash from South China Morning Post. Retrieved fromhttp://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1192472/spratly-islands-dispute-de...
5.) United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (1993) Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park from UNESCO’s official website. Retrieved from http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/653
6.) Ventrell, Patrick (2012) Press Release: South China Sea from the US Department of State.http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2012/08/196022.htm
7.) Villanueva, Hector (2013) Weak Republic from the Manila Bulletin. Retrieved from http://96.31.84.32/articles/391519/weak-republic#.UVAhMFvwK4I
8.) Yan, Gregg (2012) How the Philippines is saving their coral reefs – And how it is good for fishermen, tourism and communities from Wildlife Extra. Retrieved fromhttp://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/marine/philippines-coral-reefs.html#cr
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