MANILA, Philippines — Should China gain complete control over the West Philippine Sea, it would affect global trade, not just the Philippines, as the disputed maritime region is a crucial strategic location, Sen. Win Gatchalian said.
“Hindi lang tayo maapektuhan dyan. Very strategic ang West Philippine Sea, not only for the Philippines but for the entire world,” Gatchalian said in a Senate interview Thursday.
The interview was a response after China Coast Guard rammed the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessel transporting supplies to Filipino sailors stationed in Escoda Shoal but was hindered after China’s “dangerous maneuvers” en route to the area.
According to the lawmaker, a third of all trade passes through the West Philippine Sea, including oil and electronic goods going both ways. This makes it a very important and strategic area and China knows it.
“China knows how to play the long game. Tinitignan nila, not 10 years from now, 20 years from now, 50 years, 100 years from now. Controlling that route, having possession of the route is detrimental to the stability of the entire world,” Gatchalian said.
The lawmaker likewise said that China knows their commerce and one reason why the United States is interested in that area because they know that if China controls it, they will also have a hard time using the route in the West Philippine Sea.
The US donated a total of $500 million in military aid to the Philippines to boost its defense and regional security, especially with rising tensions in the West Philippine Sea. China dismissed this move, calling it a bad investment.
The Philippine government needs to be vigilant and alert in the West Philippine Sea because of what China is doing in the area including the removal of corals and the construction of artificial islands
If these things continue, the government should do its best to either stop them or file diplomatic protests.
The Department of Foreign Affairs lodged a diplomatic protest against China earlier this month following a series of flares fired at a Philippine Air Force plane conducting aerial patrol in Scarborough Shoal last August 8.
The foreign affairs bureau has yet to release details about the protest, but several involved agencies have stated that the country will continue to follow international law and will not resort to armed attacks, unlike what China has done.
