Creating a Sustainable Future for the West Philippine Sea

By Trevor Neilson

Last week four medium-range missiles, launched by the Chinese military from the country’s mainland, were fired into the waters between the disputed Paracel Islands and the southern island province of Hainan, according to United States Defense Department authorities. The Chinese call this area the South China Sea.

It’s not entirely clear why the Chinese began firing missiles into one of the most fragile ecosystems in the world. Millions of people depend upon this ecosystem as their primary source of protein — and millions more depend upon it for their livelihoods.

This destructive treatment of that ecosystem is unfortunately not new for the Chinese.

A wide body of research has shown that China’s efforts to build islands — often in Philippines’ waters — has had a devastating impact on marine life.

A recent report from James Cook University in Australia showed the damage is even more severe than previously thought.

According to the lead author, Professor Eric Wolanski, Chinese dredging to construct man-made islands has permanently destroyed many reefs and on top of that the region is massively overfished. There are typically between 100 and 150 Chinese fishing boats working each reef that China controls…