Philippines files 193 note verbales against China over West Philippine Sea disputes
The Philippines has been actively protesting China’s actions in the disputed West Philippine Sea this year, with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) stating that 193 note verbales have been filed. A note verbale is a diplomatic document that is written in the third person and is unsigned, but it is issued on the authority of a government. 65 of these note verbales were filed during the current Marcos administration.
One of the most recent protests came on December 12, when the Philippines filed a diplomatic protest against the Chinese Coast Guard over illegal actions that took place on November 20, 2022. These actions involved the rocket debris retrieval operations of the Philippine Navy. This protest note followed an earlier note verbale announced on November 24, which sought clarification from China about the incident.
The Philippine Senate has also voiced its concern about China’s incursions into Philippine waters, adopting a resolution condemning these actions. Senators have expressed their dismay at the behavior of the Chinese Coast Guard, with Senator Ronald dela Rosa stating in an interview with ANC’s Headstart that he would “rather die than be bullied by these people.” China has claimed sovereignty over almost the entire West Philippine Sea, despite an international court ruling that its claims have no legal basis. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei all have overlapping claims to parts of the sea.
In an effort to address the ongoing tensions and find a way to avoid further incidents, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has suggested that his planned visit to China in January could be an opportunity to establish a mechanism for preventing these types of incidents from occurring in the future. “We want to have a mechanism, we have to find a way to prevent this from happening again,” he said.
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