Uneasiness pervades our front yard while we watch developments in the West Philippine Sea.
But we join the Philippine military in asking China to restrain its forces to fend off any “provocative act” after China’s Coast Guard used a laser to try to disrupt a resupply mission to Filipino troops in the area.
The Philippine Coast Guard said its vessel was assisting a navy mission to deliver food and supplies to troops on an isle in the disputed waterway on February 6 when a Chinese Coast Guard ship directed a “military-grade laser” at the ship, temporarily blinding its crew on the bridge.
“I think it’s time for the Chinese government to restrain its forces so that it does not commit any provocative act that will endanger the lives of people,” military spokesperson Medel Aguilar has told reporters.
Aguilar quoted the Philippine defense chief as saying the Chinese action was “offensive” and unsafe.
China’s foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin, as expected, responded its coast guard conducted actions according to the law, adding “We urge the Philippines to avoid such actions, and the actions of China’s staff are professional and restrained.”
We are aware of the statement of State Department spokesperson Ned Price who said the United States stood with the Philippines over the reported laser use, stressing “The PRC’s (People’s Republic of China) conduct was provocative and unsafe.”
The incident took place at the Second Thomas Shoal, 105 nautical miles off the Philippine province of Palawan, and home to a small Philippine military contingent on board a rusty ship.
The 100-meter long World War II ship was intentionally grounded on the shoal, known in the Philippines as Ayungin, in 1999 to reinforce Manila’s sovereignty claims in the Spratly archipelago.
“The deliberate blocking of the Philippine government ships to deliver food and supplies to our military personnel … is a blatant disregard for, and a clear violation of, Philippine sovereign rights,” the PCG said in a statement.
“More broadly, the PRC’s dangerous operational behavior directly threatens regional peace and stability, infringes upon freedom of navigation in the South China Sea as guaranteed under international law, and undermines the rules-based international order.”
What is unsettling is the incident happened a month after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. made a state visit to China, when the Chinese leadership said it was ready “to manage maritime issues cordially.”
But the Chinese Coast Guard action spells out sophistry, plain and simple, as regards China’s reassurance when Mr. Marcos was in Beijing.
We know the government, through the Department of /foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the Department of Defense and the Department of Transportation, will do the necessary to protect our people against undeserved intimidation.