MANILA, FEB. 10 -- In its latest move to assert sovereignty in the South China Sea, China has expanded its presence in the disputed Spratly Islands by taking over an area claimed by the Philippines, officials here said.
China has acknowledged building several structures atop the barely submerged coral reef, but says the facilities are merely "shelters" for Chinese fishermen. The shoal is more than 620 miles southeast of China's closest undisputed territory, Hainan Island.
Philippine authorities say that in addition to installing four apparently permanent clusters of buildings on steel pylons at the site, China has deployed several ships there that appear to be naval vessels. On Thursday, the Philippine government published reconnaissance photographs of the ships and the structures, which were flying Chinese flags. The Philippine Defense Department identified two of the ships as a 1,200-ton Yukan-class supply vessel and a Dazhi-class survey and submarine-support ship.
Manila says the Chinese also recently arrested Philippine fishermen in the area, which lies inside a 200-mile maritime zone claimed by the Philippines and is close to oil-exploration sites off Palawan.
President Fidel Ramos said Wednesday that the Chinese actions were "inconsistent with international law" and with a 1992 declaration on the Spratlys, which was endorsed by China and other claimants to the sprawling collection of more than 100 largely barren islands, atolls and reefs.
The Manila Declaration commits the six countries claiming all or part of the Spratlys to refrain from any destabilizing activities and to work for the peaceful resolution of the dispute. China, Taiwan and Vietnam claim all of the islands, while Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines claim parts of the group closest to their shores. The rival claimants view the Spratlys as a potentially rich source of untapped oil reserves.
Citing the declaration, Sen. Gloria Macapagal urged its sponsor, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, to "protest against China's militarization of the Spratlys, which poses a serious threat to regional security."
In Jakarta, an Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman called for restraint and announced plans for a new round of talks on the disputed territory.
By occupying the closest part of the Spratlys to Palawan, China appears to be aggressively enforcing its 1992 claim to the entire South China Sea, said Sen. Orlando Mercado, the chairman of the Philippine Senate's defense committee. He likened the Chinese to brazen "squatters," who he said are "not just claiming the vacant lot next to us, but going straight into our own back yard." The Philippines claims 53 of the islands but has established a presence on only eight of them.
"Our territory has to be defended," Mercado said. "We may not be a military power, but I don't think we should allow ourselves to be used as a doormat on this issue. It's much too close to home." He added that the takeover of Mischief Shoal is "beginning to confirm our worst fears about Chinese power and presence in the area."
Short of diplomacy, however, there is little that Manila can do to press its claim to the reef, Mercado and other officials concede. Since the U.S. Navy pulled out of its Subic Bay base in 1992 after the Philippines rejected a new bases agreement, Manila's poorly equipped navy has been unable to fill the void.
Last year, the Philippines also rebuffed a naval logistics agreement with the United States after critics charged that it would restore a U.S. military presence and thus violate Philippine sovereignty.
Yet many Filipinos now appear to want the United States to show the flag a bit more in the region's waters to deter Chinese expansion. The U.S. Embassy here has been flooded with calls asking what, if anything, the United States intends to do about the Chinese action in view of the U.S.-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty.
U.S. officials say the treaty does not apply to the Spratlys and that Washington will not take sides on the rival claims, which it wants to see settled peacefully.
The new Chinese presence in the area attracted attention last month when a Filipino fisherman reported that he and some companions were stopped by Chinese naval vessels near Mischief Shoal and detained at the new installations for a week. The fisherman said the Chinese warned him not to tell Philippine authorities about the facilities.
The Chinese Embassy here denied that any Filipinos were detained in the area.
In the past, China also has denied any intention to project power into the region and assured its neighbors that it would not use force to defend its claims in the South China Sea.
At the same time, however, Beijing has been using some of the proceeds of its rapid economic growth to build up its navy, Western analysts say. In its latest acquisition, China has taken delivery of the first of four new Russian diesel-powered submarines as part of a $1 billion deal, Russian officials confirmed today following a report in Jane's Defense Weekly.
In 1988, Chinese and Vietnamese naval ships fought a brief battle over the Spratlys. Hanoi said it lost three naval supply ships and 72 sailors in the clash.
