THE United States said the repeated harassment of Philippine vessels by Chinese ships near Scarborough Reef (Panatag Shoal) is detrimental to regional peace and stability.
The China Coast Guard (CCG) and Chinese Maritime Militia vessels on Tuesday water cannoned and rammed vessels of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) en route to Panatag Shoal (Bajo de Masinloc) to bring food and supplies to Filipino fishermen in the area.
US State Department Deputy spokesman Vedant Patel on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) urged China “to respect the navigational rights and freedoms guaranteed to all States under international law.”
The embassies of Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, Sweden and the United Kingdom in the Philippines turned to the X social media platform to express concern over the dangerous actions by Chinese ships against the PCG and BFAR vessels near Scarborough Shoal.
Australian Ambassador Hae Kyong Yu wrote that China’s dangerous maneuvers and obstruction encountered by Philippine government vessels in the South China Sea might “create risks of miscalculation and endanger peace.”
Yu said “disputes must be resolved peacefully under Unclos (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea).”
Canadian Ambassador David Hartman said, “Canada is concerned by China’s coercive actions against Philippine vessels in the vicinity of Scarborough Shoal, including the use of water cannons and dangerous maneuvers.”
“We reiterate our call for the respect of Unclos and the peaceful resolution of conflicts. Use of force is never the solution. International law must prevail,” said German Ambassador Andreas Pfaffernoschke.
Japanese Ambassador Endo Kazuya said, “Dangerous actions, including the use of water cannons, against PCG and BFAR vessels undermine the safety of ship and crew.”
“We reiterate our call for respect for Unclos and adherence to the 2016 Arbitral Award, which is legally binding on the parties,” UK Ambassador Laure Beaufils said.
“We are concerned by the incident causing damage to Philippine vessels. We call for full respect of the UN Charter, the Unclos, the 2016 Arbitration Award and other relevant regulations,” the Embassy of Sweden said.
Patel, during a press briefing, was asked to comment on the reported use of water cannons by Chinese coast guard ships on PCG and BFAR vessels, damaging them in the process.
The Chinese attack on the Philippine ships on resupply missions came after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited China.
“Our belief is that the Chinese coast guard installation of these barriers also endangers Philippine fisherfolk’s livelihoods and prevents them from exercising their legal rights to fish in those waters,” Patel said.
These are rights that “were set out in 2016 in a final and legally binding judgment in the Philippines-China arbitration brought to the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention,” he said.
“This is something that the secretary (Blinken) made clear on his travels as well,” Patel added.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration, based in The Hague, Netherlands, invalidated China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea, which encroach on the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) said that in line with the transparency policy in the WPS, members of the press — local and foreign — are routinely invited to embed in these regular BFAR humanitarian and assistance missions for fishermen throughout the WPS and the country’s other maritime areas.
Aggressive
The Philippines said China’s coast guard has become more aggressive toward its vessels in the South China Sea.
In the latest incident on Tuesday, the Philippines said one of its coast guard vessels and another government boat sustained damage from water cannons fired by the China Coast Guard near Scarborough Shoal.
The water pressure was far more powerful than in previous incidents, and tore or bent metal sections and equipment on the Philippine vessels, said Philippine Coast Guard Commo. Jay Tarriela, Manila’s spokesman on the South China Sea.
“Obviously, that would be very fatal,” the official said, describing the water pressure as 200 pounds per square inch.
However, he said there were no casualties this time as the crew were ordered to take shelter inside.
“The Chinese coast guard now has elevated the tension and the level of their aggression as well toward the Philippine Coast Guard,” Tarriela said.
