US Expert Tells China To ‘Stop Shitting’ in Contested Waters. Literally.

Chinese ships anchored in Asia’s most disputed waterway have been dumping untreated sewage and human waste that is polluting the environment and setting the stage for a “catastrophe of epic proportions,” according to the head of a U.S.-based company that has collected satellite imagery in the area.

Liz Derr, the CEO of Simularity, which combines artificial intelligence with geospatial analysis, said visuals from the last five years showed how waste caused algae blooms in the waters surrounding the disputed Spratly Islands, where Chinese vessels have been spotted as recently as last month.

“When the ships don’t move, the poop piles up,” Derr said in an online forum on Monday, the fifth anniversary of a key legal decision related to China’s feud with the Philippines over the waters, which the Southeast Asian country calls the West Philippines Sea.

In 2016, an international tribunal in The Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines and invalidated China’s sweeping claims of ownership over the resource-rich waters, parts of which are also claimed by other countries in the region.

Critics of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte say he has ignored the ruling in favor of more favorable ties with Beijing and the lure of possible investment and infrastructure deals. Duterte denies the accusations, saying he personally takes up matters with Chinese President Xi Jinping. 

But he has been under pressure to act since mid-March, when at least 200 ships were spotted in an atoll within maritime boundaries claimed by the Philippines. The presence has angered the Philippine public, and the government has been filing diplomatic protests for weeks. Beijing says “it is completely normal” for Chinese vessels to stay in the disputed reef.

Derr, who spoke alongside former Philippine Foreign Minister Albert del Rosario, said algae blooms can deplete oxygen supply and endanger the coral reefs necessary to sustain marine life in the area.

“This is a catastrophe of epic proportions, and we are close to the point of no return,” said Derr, adding that the destruction of marine ecosystems will cause hunger and destroy the fishing industry. 

“This needs to stop immediately. China, stop shitting in the Spratlys,” she added.

VICE World News could not independently verify the claims. China’s embassy in the Philippines did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

But the comments reverberated in the Philippines on Tuesday, when lawmakers called for an investigation into the claims made by Derr as activists slammed Duterte for supposed inaction amid Beijing’s expansionism.

Beijing’s foreign ministry belittled the tribunal ruling on Monday, saying “it is nothing more than a piece of waste paper,” echoing a remark made by Duterte himself. 

“China's sovereignty and rights and interests over the South China Sea are not affected at all by the arbitration and China does not accept any claim or act based on it,” Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said in a press conference.

The U.S. has reiterated its support for the Philippines under a mutual defense treaty signed by both countries as it urged Beijing to abide by international law.

“We also reaffirm that an armed attack on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft in the South China Sea would invoke U.S. mutual defense commitments,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on the anniversary of the ruling.

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