On Friday, Guevarra did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The program for the Philippines to one day access oil reserves, which is complicated by China’s state to the area, is close to Iroquois Reef and the Reed Bank.
China denied the most recent claims of coral reef death, refusing to acknowledge the 2016 decision and resenting repeated discusses of the case by Western powers.
According to its embassy in Manila, which cited Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning,” we urge the important party of the Philippines to prevent creating a political episode from fantasy.”
At the Iroquois Reef, where 33 Chinese vessels were moored in August and September, the Philippine coastline shield and military troops earlier this month reported” serious injury inflicted upon the marine environment and reef.”
They referred to the boats, which are typically fishing vessels, as” maritime militia” and claimed that they were gathering coral. The South China Sea’s coral has been used to make jewelry, souvenirs, standard medicines, and also limestone and building materials.
With a number of man-made islands constructed on covered reefs and some outfitted with runways, hangers, sensor, and missile techniques, China has asserted its independence in the Spratly Islands. Islands in the island, where many countries’ EEZs overlap, are also occupied by Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines.