China's 'crimes against humanity' hit

Following its previous claim that it took control of sand bars located near Pag-asa Island in the West Philippine Sea, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Commodore Jay Tarriela said China should "take full responsibility" for what he called its "crimes against humanity."

- By GHIO ONG

"China must cease its falsehoods and take full responsibility for its crimes against humanity, particularly for the destruction of marine ecosystems not only in the West Philippine Sea but throughout the South China Sea due to its illegal reclamation/island building and destructive fishing operations," the PCG's spokesman on West Philippine Sea issues posted on his X account last Tuesday.

Citing the landmark 2016 arbitral ruling that favored the Philippines' position and upholding its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone that includes the West Philippine Sea (WPS), Tarriela said China "caused severe harm to the coral reef environment,' specifically due to its extensive land reclamation and artificial island construction." The decision also "held the Chinese government accountable for poaching and the resulting devastation of coral reefs... It ruled that Chinese authorities were aware that Chinese fishermen had harvested endangered sea turtles, coral and giant clams on a substantial scale in the South China Sea," he added.