China has never "occupied" Scarborough shoal. While we have exercised sovereignty and jurisdiction since our independence. We have a lighthouse there since 1957. Control of the area which is effected by frequent patrols as allowed by our small fleet of boats and policing of these waters for decades without protest from any other country claimants, including arrests of both chinese and vietnamese fishermen illegally fishing in Philippine jurisdiction or using illegal fishing methods in our waters. In the 1700's philippine map(Carta Hydrographical y Chorographical De Las Yslas Filipinas by Fr. Pedro Murilo Velarde, S.J. and published in 1734)clearly state that scarborough shoal was already part of zambales province, under effective control of the spanish in the Philippines back then.
All you(Chinese) did was criticize Philippine evidences about the treaty of Paris, about republic act 3046, about Unclos. China is fabricating their claims. Notice that instead of proving their claims, they try to discredit the claims and evidence of other countries like the Philippines and Vietnam which holds a lot of history in the areas involved. However, these evidence are real and factual and cannot be rebuked, unlike that of China's where their claims are unclear, the evidence either fabricated or missing.
The Chinese claim to have 'been there first' is like arguing that Europeans got to Australia before its aboriginal inhabitants.
China's historical evidence is NOWHERE TO BE FOUND. And everything is just based on what their government claiming. No pictures available on the net or newspapers. The Chinese government is just fabricating LIES about their history.
Just because China decided to one day include the entire SCS as part of their maps they become the owner of waters long controlled by other South East Asian countries like Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei??? Answer: NO!!!
Using only "might is right" against the complete idea of "might is right and right is might" is called barbarism in the modern civilized world. Pretty much what China is doin right now.
For sure, China has the power to impose its will. But its aggressive stance towards the Philippines, so often seen as an especially weak state, has alerted others, including Japan, Russia and India as well as the US, to its long-term goal which is not ownership of a few rocks but strategic control of the whole sea, a vital waterway between northeast Asia and the Indian Ocean, the Gulf and Europe. The Scarborough Shoal is not just a petty dispute over some rocks. It is a wake-up call for many countries.
The Philippines has indisputable sovereignty and jurisdiction over Scarborough shoal and China is welcome to try to rebuke it in the courts any time. The philippines has already invited china a number of times to resolve the dispute through arbitration by the international court, which china turned down repeatedly because they know themselves theyll lose. It is therefore without doubt, that the Philippines is the rightful owner of scarborough shoal and that its sovereignty is indisputable
RUSSIA -
March 13, 2012: Russia Pronounce its support to the Philippines over Spratly disputes with china and other claimants. Philippines
- Russia is supporting the Philippines' stand that RULES based on
transparency and diplomacy should be used to resolve maritime issues.
ASEAN
Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) have agreed that the regional Code of Conduct in the South China Sea should integrate provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), a treaty that the Philippines cites in its claim to disputed Scarborough Shoal and other islands.
EUROPEAN UNION
EU-Asia Center director Fraser
Cameron said during a forum in Manila that the EU supports a rules-based
international system and liberty of navigation. The EU believes that territorial disputes should be resolved "in
accordance with international law through peaceful and cooperative
solutions."
NEW ZEALAND
New Zealand backs Philippine position on Spratlys
New Zealand supports the position of the Philippines and other allies
that claimants to the Spratly chain of islands must heed the United
Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Department of
National Defense said Friday.
MALAYSIA
Malaysia backs Philippines in dispute vs China
Malaysia is supporting the Philippines'
stand that Manila's dispute with China over ownership of Scarborough
shoal should be resolved based on the United Nations Convention on Law
of the Sea (UNCLOS), Vice President Jejomar Binay said Tuesday.
VIETNAM BACKS THE PHILIPPINES
1) Support for the "sovereign rights" of the Philippines in the Scarborough Shoal.
2) Opposition to China's use of the "nine-dashed line" to make
overlapping claims with the Exclusive Economic Zones and continental
shelves of the Philippines, Vietnam and other ASEAN countries, as well
as opposition to "China's actions and threats of force," the latter
presumably referring to articles in China's state controlled press.
3) Support for the Philippines' proposal to submit the dispute at
Scarborough Shoal to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea
(ITLOS).
JAPAN
President Benigno Aquino III on Tuesday night secured Japanese Prime
Minister Yoshihiko Noda's support for a peaceful resolution of the
six-nation dispute over the potentially oil-rich Spratly islands.
Following the meeting, the President and Noda "confirmed that freedom of
navigation, unimpeded commerce, and compliance with established
international law including the UNCLOS and the peaceful settlement of
disputes serve the interests of the two countries and the whole region."
UNCLOS refers to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
AUSTRALIA
Australia said those involved in the territorial dispute — Brunei,
China, Malaysia, Philippines, and Taiwan — should adhere to the United
Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which codifies the
international law of the sea.
Australia's expression of support came less than a week after Washington expressed its support to Manila over the same issue.
USA
International Law Should be Used.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday pledged to
support the Philippines amid growing tensions between China and its
neighbors in disputed areas of the South China Sea (or West Philippine
Sea).
No country supports China's 9 dash line
Maps Showing Scarborough Shoal and Spratly Islands part of the Philippines.
http://i45.tinypic.com/oqjb6u.jpg
http://i46.tinypic.com/4kbp1y.jpg
http://i45.tinypic.com/33feyvl.jpg
