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By Marni Rose McFall
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The Philippines has commenced the development of an airport on Pag-asa Island in the South China Sea, amid ongoing territorial disputes and rising tensions with Beijing.
The Context
Tensions in the South China Sea have been a longstanding issue, with multiple countries, including the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei, laying claim to various parts of this resource-rich area.
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China's extensive claims, demarcated by the so-called nine-dash line, overlap with those of its neighbors and have been a source of regional friction. In 2016, an international tribunal in The Hague ruled against China's claims in favor of the Philippines, but Beijing has largely ignored the ruling, continuing to build and militarize artificial islands.
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In April, China's Coast Guard intercepted and shadowed Philippine vessels in an effort to block them from operating within the U.S. ally's internationally recognized maritime zone. And earlier this year, Chinese Coast Guard ships damaged a Philippine supply boat with water cannons and injuring sailors onboard. Manila vowed unspecified countermeasures.
What We Know
The Philippines has taken steps to bolster its presence in the contested waters. The construction of an airport on Pag-asa Island, known internationally as Thitu Island, is part of this broader strategy.
The airport development, first reported by Bloomberg, is seen as a move to enhance both civilian and military access to the island, where a small Filipino community and military personnel are stationed.
The procurement of land for the runway extension is currently underway, according to Bloomberg. The completed project is expected to significantly improve travel to and from the remote island, facilitating better supply routes and potentially boosting tourism and investment in the region.
"China has indisputable sovereignty over Nansha Qundao, including Zhongye Dao, and the adjacent waters," a spokesperson at China's U.S. embassy told Newsweek, using the Chinese names for the island and the collection of islands it is a part of.
China does not "recognize the 'status quo' of Philippines' illegal occupation of relevant maritime features of the Nansha Islands, and opposes the unlawful construction carried out by the Philippines on maritime features of China's Nansha Islands," the spokesperson said.
Newsweek has reached out to a representative of the Philippine government for comment.
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In addition to the airport on Pag-asa Island, the Philippines is also nearing the completion of a military runway on the island of Balabac in Palawan province, close to the South China Sea. Balabac is one of the new sites that the U.S. military can access under an expanded defense agreement between the two countries.
"We are in the final stages of working on the Balabac military runway, especially since Palawan will play a big role in national security," Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos said, according to Bloomberg.
The new infrastructure projects are among the priorities of the Marcos administration, aimed at opening up the region south of the capital to new investments, easing transportation, and strengthening the tourism sector.
What's Next
The development of the airport on Pag-asa Island is likely to further strain relations between Manila and Beijing.
The Chinese embassy spokesperson said, "China has been committed to resolving relevant disputes with the Philippines through direct negotiation and friendly consultation on the basis of respecting historical facts and international law."
"We hope the Philippine side will honor its commitments, fully and effectively implement the the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and get back onto the right track of bilateral negotiation for the disputes at an early date," the spokesperson added.
Update, 7/19/24, 12:26 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from a spokesperson for China's embassy in the U.S.
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