Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 22) — A Chinese official denied claims that China is responsible for environmental damage in Rozul Reef located in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
\”The Philippines’ accusations have no factual basis,\” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said in a press briefing on Thursday. \” We urge [the] relevant party of the Philippines to stop creating a political drama from fiction.\”
She added that if the Philippines truly cares for the ecological environment of the South China Sea, it should tow away the \”illegally grounded\” and \”rusting\” warship in the area, alluding to the BRP Sierra Madre.
The official said removing the BRP Sierra Madre would stop discharging polluted water into the ocean.
The Philippine military earlier said it suspected China of massive harvesting that led to the damage of coral reefs in the WPS.
READ: PH military suspects China of harvesting corals in Rozul Reef
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), meanwhile, expressed its readiness to contribute to the Office of the Solicitor General’s efforts in studying possible legal actions over the environmental damage in Rozul Reef.
\”The DFA is awaiting our relevant agencies’ assessment of the environmental damage in Rozul Reef,\” the agency said in a statement.
It also cited Article 192 of UNCLOS that obliges States to protect and preserve the marine environment.
According to the DFA, the obligation applies to all maritime areas, both inside the national jurisdiction of States and beyond it, as clarified by the 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea.
Maritime expert Jay Batongbacal earlier said the Philippines has a \”strong case\” against China’s coral harvesting, as local fishermen in the area have been reporting about these activities since 2015.
