The Philippines and China have long-standing maritime territorial disputes in the South China Sea (data map)
Manila:
The Philippines said on Monday it had summoned a Chinese envoy over “aggressive behavior” by China’s coast guard and other vessels near coral reefs off the Southeast Asian country’s coast, while Beijing has also lodged complaints.
Beijing and Manila have a long-standing maritime territorial dispute in the South China Sea, with ships from the two countries having numerous confrontations near disputed islands and reefs in recent months.
The latest incident occurred on Saturday near Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands, where the Philippines was conducting a routine mission to resupply Philippine troops stationed aboard the stranded naval ship BRP Sierra Madre.
The Philippines said Chinese coast guard blocked its supply ship and damaged it with water cannon, injuring three soldiers.
China’s coast guard defended its actions as “lawful supervision, interception and expulsion” of foreign vessels that “attempted to forcibly intrude” into Chinese waters.
On Monday, the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines said it had lodged a complaint with Manila over the Southeast Asian nation’s ships’ “illegal intrusion” into its waters.
Second Thomas Shoal is about 200 kilometers (120 miles) from Palawan Island in the western Philippines and more than 1,000 kilometers from Hainan Island, China’s nearest major landmass.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that Manila “strongly protests against the aggressive actions of the Chinese Coast Guard and the Chinese Maritime Militia against the Philippines’ rotation and replenishment missions at Ayungan Reef.” Thomas Shoal.
The Philippine Embassy in Beijing also lodged a similar protest with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“In these actions, the Philippines emphasizes that China has no right to enter the Ayunjin Shoal,” the ministry said.
The Philippines requires Chinese ships to immediately leave the vicinity of Ayunjin Reef and the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
Ships from the two countries recently collided at the same location, and the Chinese Coast Guard also conducted water cannon attacks at the same location.
Diplomatic relations cool down
China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, ignoring competing claims from other countries including the Philippines and rejecting international rulings that its claims have no legal basis.
The United States, which has a mutual defense agreement with Manila, condemned the attack.
Days earlier, visiting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States was adhering to its “ironclad” commitment to defend its long-time ally the Philippines from armed attacks in the South China Sea.
Philippine Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro on Monday challenged Beijing to seek arbitration, which he said was “the best way to sustainably resolve legal disputes.”
“That’s why they don’t like this,” Teodoro told reporters.
Relations between Manila and Beijing have cooled as Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos seeks to deepen cooperation with the United States and regional neighbors while pushing back against Chinese aggression against Philippine ships.
Chinese and Philippine officials agreed in January that closer dialogue was needed to deal with “maritime emergencies” in the South China Sea, including Second Thomas Shoal.
But Manila said on Monday that China’s “aggressive behavior calls into question its sincerity in reducing tensions and promoting peace and stability in the South China Sea.”
Despite the attack, Philippine officials said rigid-hull inflatable boats were later deployed to ferry cargo and personnel to the Philippine outpost as the damaged vessel and a Coast Guard escort vessel came to the rescue.
Living on the crumbling Sierra Madre BRP, Filipino soldiers stationed in the shoals require frequent transportation for food, water and other necessities, as well as personnel rotation.
In addition to supplies and equipment, six naval personnel were transported to BRP Sierra Madre on Saturday to replace a soldier who was recently evacuated for medical reasons, the Philippine military said.
The task force said the damaged supply ship and its escort returned to port after completing their mission.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
