Rap each other for weighing in on Chinese boat swarm in PH EEZ
Washington and Beijing on Tuesday traded barbs amid reports that Chinese vessels were monitored to be swarming in areas belonging to the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea.
In a statement, US Department of States spokesman Ned Price reiterated Washington’s message to Beijing to abide by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) “and its legal obligations pursuant to the 2016 arbitral ruling”—referring to the decision handed down by the Permanent Court of Arbitration that dismissed China’s claim to vast areas of the South China Sea.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila, however, accused Washington of using the SCS issue to “attempt to stir up troubles and drive a wedge between China and the Philippines.”
“We strongly deplore and firmly oppose this…We urge the US to stopusing the South China Sea issue to stir up troubles, sow discord between China and the Philippines and undermine stability in the South China Sea,” the embassy said in a statement posted on its Facebook page.
“As the Chinese proverb goes, ‘the sea desires calmness but the waves keep rolling.’ The US keeps meddling in the South China Sea disputes and trying to drive wedges between countries in the region, creating tensions and harming regional peace and stability. What the US has done is not to help anyone but to serve its own geopolitical interests.”
“China’s stand on the South China Sea issue is consistent and clear-cut. The Chinese and Philippine peoples have the will and capability to properly handle maritime disputes through friendly consultation, and jointly maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea,” the embassy added.
Price issued the statement after several Chinese vessels swarmed in the Iroquois Reef and Sabina Shoal in the Spratly Islands, and after Chinese coast guard personnel seized rocket debris from the Philippine Navy in the West Philippine Sea.
The US official said the swarming of the Chinese vessels ”interfere[s] with the livelihoods of Philippine fishing communities, and also reflect[s the] continuing disregard for other South China Sea claimants and states lawfully operating in the region.”
“Furthermore, we share the Philippines’ concerns regarding the unsafe encounter that the PRC (People’s Republic of China) Coast Guard initiated with Philippines naval forces in the South China Sea, as documented before the Senate of the Philippines on Dec.14,” it added.
China earlier denied that it forcibly took the debris and said that it instead had a “friendly consultation” with the Philippine Navy. But a video played in the Senate in one of its sessions proved otherwise.
Since then, China has not commented on the incident.
Price said the United States stands with the Philippines,which it considers as one of its allies, “in upholding the rules-based international order and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea as guaranteed under international law.”
In her recent historic trip to Palawan, the province closest to the South China Sea, in November, US Vice President Kamala Harris called on the Philippines to “stand up” against illicit activities and harassment experienced by Filipino fishers in the disputed waters.
Harris said the US is ready to stand with the Philippines ”in the face of intimidation and coercion in the South China Sea” as it supports the 2016 UN arbitral tribunal ruling,” which delivered a unanimous and final decision” firmly rejecting China’s expansive South China Sea maritime claims.
”We will continue to rally our allies and partners against unlawful and irresponsible behavior. When the international rules-based order is threatened somewhere, it is threatened everywhere,” Harris said.
Western Command chief Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos earlier confirmed that dozens of Chinese vessels have been moving closer to Palawan in recent months.
In a statement on Dec. 14, the Department of National Defense said it views the swarming with “great concern” and maintained that the Philippines would not give up a single square inch of its territory.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila has yet to respond when asked for comment.
Senator Francis Tolentino said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should exert diplomatic pressure on Beijing during his upcoming state visit to China.
Tolentino issued the remark in a television interview when asked what should the government do to ward off the around 20 Chinese vessels that were reportedly spotted in Sabina Shoal near Palawan.
“One, the diplomatic pressure should be pursued in Beijing when the President [visits the country]. We don’t want to jump the gun on the President, he is the chief architect of foreign policy,” Tolentino said in an interview on the ANC news channel.
Tolentino said the government must also increase the presence ofPhilippine Coast Guard, and the Bureau of Fisheries and AquaticResources (BFAR) must also be involved to establish research programs in the area.
Tolentino last week delivered a privilege speech and showed footage ofan incident near Pag-asa Island in November in which the Chinese Coast Guard could be seen taking suspected rocket debris retrieved by Philippine Navy personnel.
Earlier this week, the President told the military to prepare forsecurity challenges “that do not recognize borders” to boost efforts to protect and defend the country’s sovereignty.
“New security challenges do not recognize borders and we must continueto work with our neighbors, our allies, partners, and friends to address mutual security concerns,” Mr. Marcos said during the 87th anniversary of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
“And aside from these partnerships, the Armed Forces needs to have in its arsenal the capabilities to effectively combat threats and to secure the country — all its more than 7,000 islands and all its features,” he added.
