Philippines Accuses China Of Fanning Sea Tensions - Wall Street Journal

By BRIAN SPEGELE

BEIJINGâ€"The Philippines accused China of further ratcheting up tensions in a disputed portion of the South China Sea after it said dozens of Chinese vessels had been deployed there in recent days, despite a fishing moratorium.

The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday it had expressed "grave concern" this week to the Chinese Embassy after a dramatic increase in the number of Chinese vessels around the Scarborough Shoal in the past few days.

By Tuesday, there were 76 Chinese utility boats in the area, a department statement said. Utility boats are often deployed by larger fishing vessels to sail into shallow waters to harvest clams and coral. The statement also accused China of having illegally dredged in the area, threatening marine biodiversity.

"It is regrettable that these actions occurred at a time when China has been articulating for a de-escalation of tensions and while the two sides have been discussing how to defuse the situation," the statement read.

A Foreign Affairs Department spokesman, Raul Hernandez, said Chinese fishermen continued to operate in the area even though China had issued a temporary ban on fishing there on May 16. The Chinese moratorium is slated to run until Aug. 1. The Philippines also announced its own suspension of fishing.

Chinese fishery administration officials did not respond to a request for comment. At a daily press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said about 20 Chinese fishing vessels were in the disputed area, which China refers to as Huangyan island. Mr. Hong said Chinese fishing vessels were operating in the area in accordance with the moratorium. He didn't elaborate.

Manila's strongly worded statement appeared to dash hopes that the fishing bans would provide a face-saving way to diffuse a potentially volatile standoff at Scarborough, a collection of islands, rocks and reefs.

The standoff began early last month after Chinese ships blocked Philippine authorities from arresting Chinese fishermen accused of operating illegally in the area. The South China Sea contains valuable fishing grounds and is believed to hold vast oil and gas reserves.

China's growing assertiveness in the South China Sea has created worries among smaller countries in the region. The sea is claimed in whole or in part by China, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and Taiwan.

Analysts say the longer the standoff continues, the more difficult it becomes for either side to back down without being seen as weak. China's government in particular is looking to present a strong face to its citizens ahead of a sensitive once-a-decade leadership transition set to start late this year.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Fu Ying said earlier this month she wasn't optimistic about finding a resolution to the conflict, and neither side has expressed a willingness to compromise.

The Philippines has suggested United Nations mediation of the dispute, an idea rejected by China, which prefers dealing with territorial disputes on a bilateral basis.

â€"Josephine Cuneta in Manila and Wayne Ma in Beijing contributed to this article.