The Philippines and China have a long history of maritime territorial disputes in the South China Sea (File)
Manila:
The Philippines said on Monday it had summoned a Chinese envoy over “aggressive actions” by the Chinese Coast Guard and other vessels near a reef off the Southeast Asian nation’s coast, while Beijing filed its own complaint.
China and Manila have a long history of maritime territorial disputes in the South China Sea, and ships from both countries have repeatedly clashed in recent months near disputed coral reefs.
The latest incident occurred on Saturday near Second Thomas Reef in the Spratly Islands during a routine replenishment mission to Philippine troops stationed on the stranded naval ship BRP Sierra Madre.
The Philippines announced that the Chinese Coast Guard intercepted a supply ship and damaged it with water cannon, injuring three soldiers.
China’s Coast Guard defended its actions, saying it was a “legal restriction, interception and exclusion” of foreign vessels that “tried to forcibly enter” Chinese territorial waters.
On Monday, the Chinese embassy in the Philippines said it had lodged a complaint with Manila about “illegal intrusions” into its territorial waters by the Southeast Asian country’s vessels.
Thomas Shoal 2 is about 200 kilometers (120 miles) from Palawan Island in the western Philippines and more than 1,000 kilometers from Hainan Island, the closest major landmass to China.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that Manila had conveyed its “strong protest against the aggressive actions taken by the Chinese Coast Guard and the Chinese Maritime Militia against the rotation and replenishment mission carried out by the Philippines at Ayungin Reef.” Thomas Scholl.
The Philippine Embassy in Beijing announced that it had filed a similar protest with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, “At the time of this separation, the Philippines particularly emphasized that China has no right to exist in Ayungin Shoal.”
“The Philippines demands that Chinese vessels immediately leave the vicinity of Ayungin Reef and the Philippine exclusive economic zone.”
This is the same area where recent collisions between ships from both countries and water cannons by the Chinese Coast Guard occurred.
Cooling down of diplomatic relations
China claims almost all of the South China Sea, ignoring competing claims by other countries, including the Philippines, and international rulings that China’s claims have no legal basis.
The United States, which has a mutual defense pact with Manila, condemned the attack.
The announcement comes days after a visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who said the US would uphold its “ironclad” commitment to protect the Philippines, a longtime ally, from armed attack in the South China Sea.
Philippine Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro on Monday petitioned the Chinese government for arbitration, saying it was “the best way to resolve the legal dispute sustainably.”
“That’s why they don’t like it,” Teodoro told reporters.
Relations between Manila and China have cooled under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, who seeks to deepen cooperation with the United States and regional neighbors while confronting Chinese aggression against Philippine shipping.
Officials from China and the Philippines agreed in January on the need for closer dialogue to address “maritime emergencies” in the South China Sea, including the Second Thomas Shoal.
But Manila said on Monday that China’s “aggressive actions cast doubt on China’s sincerity in reducing tensions and promoting peace and stability in the South China Sea.”
Despite the attack, Philippine officials said the stricken ship and a coast guard escort ship that came to its aid later deployed rigid-hulled inflatable boats to deliver cargo and personnel to Philippine outposts. Stated.
Filipino soldiers stationed in shallow waters are living on the crumbling BRP Sierra Madre and require frequent replenishment of food, water and other necessities, as well as transportation for personnel rotations.
Apart from supplies and equipment, the Armed Forces of the Philippines announced that six naval personnel were brought to BRP Sierra Madre on Saturday to replace one soldier who was recently evacuated for medical reasons.
According to the task force, the damaged supply ship and escort ship have completed their mission and returned to port.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
