'Hindi Kami Papayag' — PH Slams China's Claim Over Entire South China Sea

The Philippines isn't backing down. In a sharp rebuke to Beijing, the Department of Foreign Affairs rejected China's assertion of sovereignty over the entire South China Sea, calling out the Chinese embassy in Manila for what it described as unilateral proclamations with no legal basis.

DFA spokesperson Rogelio Villanueva fired back during a briefing, saying the Philippines has "indivisible, incontrovertible and longstanding sovereignty" over Scarborough Shoal and the islands it holds in the Spratly archipelago. He reminded China that maritime and territorial claims are subject to international legal procedures — not social media posts.

The latest verbal sparring was triggered by a weekend social media post from the Chinese embassy claiming that a former Philippine ambassador had told a German radio station that Scarborough Shoal didn't fall within Manila's territory. The embassy's spokesperson Ji Lingpeng fired back, saying China "has never laid claim" to the entirety of the South China Sea and accused the Philippines of deliberately distorting Beijing's position.

Scarborough Shoal sits just 200 kilometers off the Philippine coast, well within the country's exclusive economic zone. Despite this, it remains effectively under Beijing's control through continuous coast guard deployments. The strategic atoll is coveted for its rich fishing grounds and sheltered lagoon that provides safe haven during storms.

This war of words is just the latest chapter in years of maritime confrontations between the two nations. The Philippines won a landmark 2016 ruling at the Permanent Court of Arbitration that found China's sweeping claims in the South China Sea had no basis in international law — a decision Beijing continues to reject. "Sovereignty is not merely claimed, it is exercised," Villanueva said.

Source: Reuters