Spratly Deals Cover 6 Philippine Islands

The Spratlys are being claimed wholly or in part by the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Malaysia and Taiwan and Brunei. The more or less 160 islands are claimed wholly both by China and Taiwan. Vietnam occupies 25 islands; China, nine; the Philippines, eight; Malaysia, three, and Taiwan, one. Brunei has established a fishing zone that overlaps a southern reef.

Under the agreements, Sonca (Sand Cay) and Nam Yit Islands, and Collins and Da Nu Thui (Petley) Reefs claimed by Vietnam are covered by the pre-exploration study area.

So are the reefs claimed by China: Landsowne (Da Len Dao), Yong Shu Jian (Fiery Cross), Nan Xun Jiao (Gaven), Kennan and Subi.

Sinh Cow, the main site of clashes between Chinese and Vietnamese troops in the past, is also in the agreement area.

Retired Commodore Rex Robles, who was part of the team that prepared the 1960’s handbook on the 53-islets in the South China Sea being claimed by the Philippines, said in an interview that a “militarily weak” Philippines initiated the regime of cooperation among the six claimants to deter Chinese aggression.

The agreement area

By entering into the bilateral agreement with China, Robles said, the Philippines “undercut our own initiative to talk to China as a group.”

He added, “To the add to the offense, we allowed China to have access for study purposes to other islands without permission by the other claimants.”

Robles said the Philippines, by entering into the agreement with China, has likewise taken Beijing’s side in its sovereignty dispute with Taiwan.

The Philippines maintains a “One-China Policy” and recognizes Beijing as representing the Chinese people. But the Philippines maintains economic and cultural relations with Taiwan, which hosts some 160,000 Filipino workers.

The Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking is a three-year agreement for the Philippines, China and Vietnam to undertake a seismic study “to gather and process data on stratigraphy, tectonics and structural fabric of the subsurface of the area.”