Manila: The Philippines government has said it had lodged a complaint in early October about a reclamation project launched by China to enlarge a reef.

The Chinese move was to ensure that the reef could accommodate an airstrip and a harbour off the South China Sea, senior Philippine officials said.

“We discovered that a note verbale has already been sent (to China about the reclamation project on Fiery Cross Reef or Kagitingan Reef) on October 10,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario told Gulf News.

“(In the note verbale) we were protesting against the activity of China (in the Kagitingan Reef),” said del Rosario, who confirmed receiving reports that the reclamation project on the 3,000-metre long and 300-metre wide reef was meant to expand the reef for China’s offshore runway and harbour for warships and tankers.

The Fiery Cross Reef (or Kagitingan Reef) is “very near” to the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG), a 37 hectare nine-island chain that the Philippines has claimed in the Spratlys archipelago, located 257 nautical miles off Palawan, southwestern Philippines.

KIG has its own runway, self-generated sources of electricity and line of communications, a school, and a community composed of deployed government soldiers and their family members. It is part of the local government unit of Palawan.

Identifying another avenue that the Philippines could take to handle the raging issue, Foreign Affairs spokesperson Charles Jose said, “In response to those actions (of China), the Philippines is working closely with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) for the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC).”

He referred to efforts of China and the 10 member countries of Asean to make DOC more legally binding.

The DOC was a non- binding code of conduct for claimants in the South China Sea when China and Asean signed it in 2002.

The signing occurred seven years after the Philippine government had complained to Asean in 1995, that China built structures on Mischief Reef – which is nearer Palawan than the KIG (island chain) that the Philippines has claimed in the Spratly Archipelago.

Despite China’s reclamation project on the Fiery Cross Reef, Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Gregorio Catapang said, “We continue to re-supply our troops (on KIG). We continue to do our daily job and we continue to put our troops there. Nobody bothers them there.”

Earlier, Catapang refused to confirm reports that China has continued to construct an airstrip on the Fiery Cross Reef.

“We are still checking if there is an airstrip on Fiery Cross Reef or Kagitingan Reef,” said Catapang, adding, “The foreign affairs department is now taking a lead role in this issue. We just wait for instructions (from the foreign affairs department) on what the military will do.”

When Jane’s, a defence publication, reported about China’s activity on the Fiery Cross Reef, United States military spokesperson Col. Jeffrey Pool was quoted as saying, “We urge China to stop its land reclamation programme and engage in diplomatic initiatives to restrain themselves in these sorts of activities (that could intensify tension in the South China Sea).”

Peoples Liberation Army head, Major General Luo Yuan was also quoted as telling Global Times, “The US is obviously biased considering that the Philippines, Malaysia, and Vietnam have already set up military facilities (in areas they have claimed in the Spratly Archipelago).”

“China is likely to withstand the international pressure and continue the construction since it is completely legitimate and justifiable,” Luo added.

China, Taiwan, and Vietnam claim the whole of the South China Sea based on their respective historical rights on the sea lane.

Brunei, Malaysia, and the Philippines claim some parts of the Spratly Arhcipelago, based on the provision of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 200 nautical miles exclusive economic zone to countries starting from their shores.

Asean is composed of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The region will be economically integrated in 2015.