The Philippine Navy on Tuesday denied claims that the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) had taken “control measures” by seizing multiple Philippine-flagged vessels near a disputed shoal in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
According to Navy spokesperson for the WPS Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, the information fed to international media by the CCG is “all part of their shaping operations to justify again their illegal presence and their coercive and aggressive actions.”
Trinidad said their monitoring in the WPS has been “constant” and there was no truth to reports quoting the CCG on the alleged seizure of Philippine vessels, which have operated within the bounds of international and domestic laws.
“We have monitored different malign influence releases by the Chinese Communist Party and rest assured, there are corresponding counter narratives. We are bringing out the truth. We are calling out their false narratives when it comes to the West Philippine Sea,” the Navy official said.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) did not directly address the issue but released an update showing that its humanitarian missions in Bajo de Masinloc, known internationally as Scarborough Shoal, continue with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).
The Department of Foreign Affairs, meanwhile, has yet to comment on this development.
A report published by Kyodo News on Tuesday said the CCG has taken “control measures” against multiple official Philippine vessels near the disputed Scarborough Shoal (known to Filipinos as Bajo de Masinloc) in the South China Sea, claiming they engaged in illegal activities.
The shoal, claimed by both China and the Philippines, is a major contested area in the waters. Last week, Beijing approved a plan to set up a nature reserve covering an area of about 3,500 hectares at the shoal.
CCG spokesman Gan Yu said the Philippines organized over 10 government ships to “illegally intrude into the territorial waters” of China from multiple directions, adding that Chinese ships issued warnings via loudspeakers and used water cannons.
Gan alleged a Philippine government vessel disregarded repeated warnings and “intentionally rammed into” a Chinese coast guard ship in an “unprofessional and dangerous manner” at around 10 a.m. Tuesday.
“The Philippines’ deliberate illegal and provocative acts are of an egregious nature, and the full responsibility for the collision rests entirely” with Manila, the spokesman said.
China effectively controls the shoal, which lies in the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines, and calls it Huangyan Dao. The nature reserve plan has triggered a protest by Manila, with the United States backing the Philippines.
On Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said Beijing had lodged a “serious protest” with Washington over its support for Manila, adding the plan to create the reserve is “legitimate, lawful, and beyond reproach.”
Beijing asserts sovereignty over nearly the whole of the South China Sea, despite a 2016 international arbitration ruling that invalidated its claim. Chinese vessels have acted aggressively against Philippine ships near disputed shoals in the waters.
Last week, the Philippine military held joint drills with Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force and the U.S. Navy in the South China Sea, underscoring trilateral unity against China’s activities.
Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Kazuya Endo has said in a social media post that the 2016 arbitration ruling rejecting Beijing’s expansive claims must be respected, reaffirming Tokyo’s support for Manila’s position in the South China Sea dispute. — With Kyodo News
