Manila says China Coast Guard’s actions at shoal not helping confidence building
THE PHILIPPINES on Tuesday said China’s coast guard was not helping efforts to build confidence in the South China Sea, after accusing it of ramming and damaging its vessels in their latest altercation.
China should stop aggressive actions and adhere to international law, said Alexander Lopez, a spokesman for the country’s National Maritime Council, an inter-ministerial body that formulates policy on the South China Sea.
The latest incident took place near Sabina Shoal, as the Philippines conducted a resupply mission to two islands it occupies in the Spratly chain of islands, parts of which are also contested by China, Vietnam and Malaysia.
China has challenged Manila’s account and said the Philippine coast guard had acted in an “unprofessional and dangerous” manner.
Mr. Lopez told a news briefing at the presidential palace the council had expressed “serious concern over the deliberate harassment and infringement by China” on Philippine sovereignty in the South China Sea.
Resorting to any “kinetic approach” would not be in the good interest of the two neighbors and the wider region, he said.
“We can never go wrong by using a diplomatic or peaceful approach,” he said, adding that the Philippine Coast Guard had been ordered to gather evidence that will be used in a diplomatic protest to be filed by the Foreign Affairs department.
“We are compliant with the code of conduct that we signed in 2002, that among others, parties will exercise restraint in the conduct of activities that would complicate or even escalate the dispute,” he added.
BRP Cape Engaño was sailing 23 nautical miles southeast of Sabina Shoal at 3:24 a.m. on Aug. 19 when a Chinese Coast Guard vessel performed “aggressive maneuvers.”
“This resulted in a collision with the starboard beam of the vessel, creating a hole on the deck with an approximate diameter of five inches,” the Philippines’ South China Sea task force said.
The second incident occurred at 3:40 a.m. when BRP Bagacay, at that time located 21 nautical miles southeast of the shoal, was “rammed twice” on its port and starboard sides by another China Coast Guard vessel, sustaining a minor structural damage.
The Chinese Coast Guard posted a short video of the incident that showed what it said was a Philippine coast guard ship “deliberately ramming” one of their vessels. China’s maritime security said the same Philippine vessel involved in the collision then entered waters near Second Thomas Shoal after being prevented from entering Sabina Shoal.
Mr. Lopez said talks between the two nations had been focused on resupply missions to Second Thomas Shoal.
“The understanding that we have with China… was focused on the RORE (rotation and reprovisioning) missions in Ayungin Shoal,” he said. “We did not expect that this thing would happen between coast guards.”
The deal could be expanded to cover other parts of the Philippine exclusive economic zone (EEZ), Mr. Lopez said.
“This has been seriously studied by our Department of Foreign Affairs — that it may be possible to extend [the scope] in other areas of our maritime domain,” he said.
Also on Tuesday, the Philippine military said it had spotted 129 Chinese vessels within the Philippine EEZ from Aug. 13 to 19, including two People’s Liberation Army Navy ships at Sabina Shoal.
There were 18 coast guard, 13 navy and 98 maritime militia ships spotted in Philippine waters, military spokesman Francel Margareth Padilla-Taborlupa told a separate news briefing.
Navy spokesman Roy Vincent Trinidad said the number of Chinese vessels in Philippine waters was “still within the acceptable range.” The military earlier said it had spotted 92 ships from Aug. 6 to 12.
China’s actions have drawn condemnation from the United States, a Philippine treaty ally that described them as “dangerous” and “reckless.” Japan through its embassy in Manila also expressed serious concern while reiterating its call for peaceful settlement of disputes.
China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, deploying an armada of coast guard vessels to protect what it considers its territory, hundreds of kilometers off its mainland. An international arbitral tribunal has said Beijing’s claim is illegal.
The Philippines has been testing China’s resolve with increased coast guard activity in disputed areas within its exclusive economic zone, including resupply missions that have angered China, which sees the moves as deliberate provocations. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza with Reuters