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Catholic Church to open a mission in a South China Sea island claimed by the Philippines and China
The Philippine Catholic Church plans to establish a pastoral presence on Pag-asa Island [Thitu Island], part of the Spratly Islands, in the South China Sea, which are claimed by both China and the Philippines.
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Home to the only civilian outpost in the West Philippine Sea, the Philippine name for this part of the Asia-Pacific, the island has been in the middle of a long-running dispute between China and Southeast Asian nations over its control and the exploitation of its resources, like fishing and seabed natural gas.
Commodore Jay Tarriela, spokesman for the West Philippine Sea Command, and Bishop Socrates Calamba Mesiona, Apostolic Vicar of Puerto Princesa (Palawan Province) met to discuss the timing and methods of building the place of worship on Pag-asa.
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On Pag-asa, the small resident Catholic community includes civilians, members of the Philippine Armed Forces, Coast Guard personnel, maritime group soldiers, as well as police personnel.
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The United States backs Southeast Asian countries, viewing China’s demarcation line, the so-called cow tongue line (also known as the nine-dash line) as illegal and irrational.
Yet, the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in favour of the Philippines on 12 July 2016 was of no avail.
Ultimately, since up to a third of global maritime trade goes through this sea, whose seabed is rich in oil and natural gas, anyone who controls it has a strategic advantage.
Chapter Eight, Missionary Diplomacy by Emily Conroy-Krutz
The US occupation of the Philippines ushered in a new era of American Christian imperialism. As had been the case throughout the nineteenth century, missionaries looked to empire as a potential tool for evangelism. With empire, they hoped, missionary access could follow. In the Philippines, this hope would be realized.
Here, more than anywhere before, missionaries were acting at the pleasure of the US government.
What’s Really Going On In the South China Sea Between the Philippines and China
While 60 Minutes did state that “in 2016, an international tribunal at The Hague ruled the Philippines has exclusive economic rights in a 200-mile zone that includes Sabina Shoal” and that “China does not recognize the ruling”, their statements were misleading. The South China Sea Arbitration did not rule on sovereignty, and China does not recognize it because the Arbitral Tribunal lacked jurisdiction. “The Arbitral Tribunal violated the principle of state consent, exercised its jurisdiction ultra vires and rendered an award in disregard of the law. This is a grave violation of UNCLOS and general international law, Wang said.” The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is an international treaty that establishes a legal framework for all marine and maritime activities. The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) is not an agency of the United Nations. The PCA rents space in the same building as the UN’s International Court of Justice. A Congressional Research Service report, dated August 2023, stated that the U.S. has not declared its position regarding sovereignty over any of the geographical elements that comprise the South China Sea.
Ms. Cat’s Chronicles 