The Philippines has expressed its concern over China’s launch of its Long March 12 rocket on August 4, which alarmed the public and left debris within the Philippine maritime territory.
In a statement released on August 6, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) encouraged all spacefaring states to engage in responsible conduct of space activities.
“The Philippines takes this opportunity to urge all spacefaring states to conduct their space activities in a manner consistent with norms of responsible behavior, and with due regard to the rights and interests of other states,” the DFA said.
The statement also noted the commitment between President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. and Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2023, saying that the Philippines continues to work with China on appropriate procedures when it comes to rocket launches and management of post-launch impacts.
“The Department defers comments on technical and safety matters to the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) and other concerned agencies,” DFA added.
On August 4, the PhilSA confirmed the Long March 12 rocket launch from Hainan, China.
The next day, August 5, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said they condemned this activity as it placed people in Palawan at risk.
