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Manila on Sunday protested the China Coast Guard’s use of water cannons towards a Philippine Coast Guard vessel escorting civilian provide boats delivering items to a navy put up within the South China Sea.
The Filipino vessels had been on a mission Saturday to ship meals, water, gas and different provides to troops stationed on the BRP Sierra Madre when the incident occurred close to Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal). The World Warfare II-era naval ship was intentionally run aground within the shoal in 1999 to function the nation’s navy put up there.
Manila “strongly condemns the China Coast Guard’s (CCG’s) harmful maneuvers and unlawful use of water cannons towards the PCG vessels escorting the indigenous boats chartered by the Armed Forces of the Philippines yesterday, 05 August 2023,” Commodore Jay Tarriela, the coast guard spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, stated in a press release.
Tarriela stated the motion disregarded the security of Filipino sailors and violated worldwide legislation, together with a 2016 arbitral award in favor of Manila that nullified China’s claims to the South China Sea.
“The PCG calls on the China Coast Guard to restrain its forces, respect the sovereign rights of the Philippines in its unique financial zone and continental shelf, chorus from hampering freedom of navigation, and take acceptable actions towards the people concerned on this illegal incident,” he stated.
The Philippines additionally demanded that Beijing “stop all unlawful actions inside the maritime zones of the Philippines,” Tarriela stated.
Armed forces spokesman Col. Medel Aguilar stated that due to the Chinese language harassment, the second Filipino provide provide boat was unable to unload its provides and couldn’t full the mission.
“We name on the China Coast Guard and the Central Army Fee to behave with prudence and be accountable of their actions to forestall miscalculations and accidents that may endanger peoples’ lives,” Aguilar added.
The Chinese language Embassy in Manila has not responded to reporters’ requests for remark. However Chinese language media experiences quoted the Chinese language Coast Guard as confirming the incident and saying the 2 Filipino provide ships had been carrying “unlawful constructing supplies.
“CCG carried out vital administration and management in accordance with legislation and blocked the Philippine ships carrying unlawful constructing supplies. China urges the Philippine aspect to cease its encroachment within the sea space instantly,” International Occasions quoted CCG spokesperson Gan Yu as saying.
The U.S. Division of State stated that Chinese language ships clearly interfered with the Philippines’ “lawful train of excessive seas freedom of navigation.” It famous that the motion was the newest in a string of “repeated threats” to the established order within the South China Sea.
“The US calls upon the PRC (China) to abide by the arbitral ruling in addition to to respect freedom of navigation – a proper to which all states are entitled,” the division stated in a press release late Saturday.
“The US reaffirms an armed assault on Philippine public vessels, plane and armed forces – together with these of its Coast Guard within the South China Sea – would invoke U.S. mutual protection commitments underneath Article IV of the 1951 U.S.-Philippine Mutual Protection Treaty,” it stated.
China’s motion got here after lawmakers final week unanimously adopted a decision condemning China’s continued harassment of Filipino fishermen and its persistent incursions within the contested waters.
The decision, which expresses the sentiment of the higher chamber however is non-binding, additionally urged the Philippine authorities “to take acceptable motion in asserting and securing” the nation’s sovereign rights, and “to name on China to cease its unlawful actions.”
“This bipartisan effort tells the Filipino those who in relation to issues of nationwide sovereignty, we’ll by no means be bullied into submission,” stated Sen. Risa Hontiveros, one of many senators who filed the decision.
On Sunday, Hontiveros referred to as on the worldwide group to sentence the newest incident. She additionally stated that it might be excessive time for the Philippines, in addition to different claimant international locations akin to Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei, to work collectively on joint patrols towards China. Indonesia has a separate dispute with China, whereas Taiwan can be a celebration to the South China Sea wrangling.
Simply weeks earlier, the Philippine Coast Guard accused its Chinese language counterpart of harmful maneuvers that would have brought on a collision throughout a resupply mission additionally on Ayungin Shoal.
In that incident, two China Coast Guard vessels intercepted Philippine patrol boats and “exhibited aggressive techniques” and at one level, the Chinese language vessel got here to only 50 yards of a Philippine vessel.
On April 21, a Chinese language Individuals’s Liberation Military Navy vessel with the bow quantity 549 crossed paths with Philippine vessels close to Pag-asa Island, whereas in February one other Chinese language Coast Guard ship directed a military-grade laser gentle twice at a Filipino ship, inflicting short-term blindness to the crew on the bridge.
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