By Shannon Tiezzi
Manila says China is reclaiming land and carrying out construction on Johnson South Reef in the disputed Spratlys.
As if tensions in the South China Sea weren’t high enough already, on Wednesday the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) accused China of conducting land reclamation and construction on Johnson South Reef, part of the disputed Spratly Islands. DFA spokesman Charles Jose told Reuters that China is moving earth and materials to the reef. “They’re about to build an airstrip,” he was quoted as saying. Other Philippine sources suggested China might be building a military outpost, such as a resupply or refueling station.
According to a statement from the DFA, the Philippines protested China’s reclamation of land on Johnson Reef on April 4, but China rejected the protest. It’s unclear why the Philippines waited over a month before deciding to publicly denounce the move. The DFA also said that it had raised the issue during last weekend’s ASEAN Summit, where the South China Sea issue was a major topic of discussion.
The Philippines believes that the construction project is in violation of the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea. In that agreement, the ASEAN states and China agreed “to exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that would complicate or escalate disputes … including, among other, refraining from action of inhabiting on the presently uninhabited islands” or other features. Johnson Reef is already home to a number of buildings, including a maritime observation station.
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