WE HEARD the decibels of condemnation and climbing concern from different countries, via different platforms, regarding China’s dangerous maneuvers Monday near the Escoda (Sabina) Shoal, only 85 miles west of Palawan.
China’s coast guard accused the Philippines of deliberately crashing one of its ships into a Chinese vessel after supposedly ignoring a warning, a claim denied by the Philippine side, with Beijing and Manila now blaming each other for the collision.
The cacophony of condemnation and concern came from the United States, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, European Union, France, Britain and Canada.
While there were no reports of injuries, the dangerous maneuvers endangered lives and caused damage to two Philippine vessels on a mission to deliver supplies to Filipino personnel within what is clearly the country’s territorial domain, seen now as a new flashpoint..
We also heard Speaker Martin Romualdez who condemned “the reckless and illegal maneuvers” by the CGG against the PCG vessels, saying “This brazen and unwarranted aggression resulted in dangerous collisions that could have led to tragic consequences,”
We agree with Romualdez CGG’s “deliberate actions are a direct affront to our sovereignty and a blatant violation of international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, to which both the Philippines and China are signatories.”
US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson said on the social media platform X the United States stands with the Philippines “in condemning the China coast guard’s dangerous maneuvers near Sabina Shoal, distinctly echoed by Canadian Ambassador David Hartman who said they condemn the “irresponsible and dangerous maneuvers” of the CCG against the PCG.
In a separate post on X, the Japanese embassy here raised “serious concern” over China’s “recent aggressive conduct while Australian Ambassador HK Yu said they were “deeply concerned by (the) reports.”
The New Zealand embassy here also voiced its concern over the latest incident, saying “Peaceful resolution of maritime disputes in accordance with UNCLOS is fundamental to regional stability.”
European Union Ambassador Luc Veron said the bloc was “concerned about Monday’s serious maritime incidents between the Chinese Coast Guard and the Philippine Coast Guard, adding “International Law, including the UNCLOS, should be observed in all activities at sea.”
The French embassy here also expressed “concern,” and “recalled” the 2016 arbitral ruling, which deemed China’s sweeping claim of almost all of the South China Sea as invalid, while German Ambassador Andreas Pfaffernoschke said they were “concerned about the serious maritime incidents.
British Ambassador Laure Beaufils said China’s “dangerous actions… against” the PCG was a concern, and called on “respect of international law, including UNCLOS, and adherence to the 2016 Arbitral Award which is legally binding on the parties.”
We hope the world is not helpless and hopeless.
