Philippine Senators Sign Resolution against China’s ‘Creeping Hegemony’ in South China Sea

Philippine opposition senators, in a resolution Tuesday, accused Beijing of “creeping hegemony” in the South China Sea through what they described as the illegal presence of Chinese ships in Manila’s exclusive economic zone. The 11 senators, mostly critics of President Rodrigo Duterte, released Resolution 708 that hit out at the lingering presence of Chinese vessels in disputed waters in the Spratly Islands, despite multiple diplomatic protests lodged by the Department of Foreign Affairs this month.

“While China’s increasing dominance as regional and world power cannot be denied, its open and serious contempt of the UNCLOS, as well as its expansion of influence in the area at the expense of legitimate interests and legally recognized maritime entitlements of smaller nations like the Philippines, must be firmly resisted and denounced and the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration Award vigorously asserted,” said the resolution filed on Monday.  UNCLOS refers to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The 2016 ruling supported the Philippines’ territorial claims to the South China Sea.

Close diplomatic ties and Manila’s acceptance of economic help from Beijing “should not be mistaken as acceptance of China’s creeping hegemony over our region and country,” the senators emphasized.

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