South China Sea: Manila dares Beijing to arbitrate claim ‘if China is not afraid’, summons Chinese envoy over stand-off
- The Philippines has accused China’s coastguard of using water cannon against a civilian boat, damaging it and injuring some crew
- On Monday, Manila said it summoned a Chinese envoy over the ‘aggressive actions’, as the defence minister challenged Beijing to arbitrate its claim
It came as Manila said it had summoned a Chinese envoy over “aggressive actions” by the China Coast Guard and other vessels near a reef off the Southeast Asian country’s coast.
“If China is not afraid to state its claims to the world, then why don’t we arbitrate under international law?,” Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro told reporters on Monday.
China warns Philippines against ‘escalating situation’ in South China Sea
China claims almost the entire South China Sea as its own, including the Second Thomas Shoal, which is within the Philippines’ 200-mile (320km) exclusive economic zone.
Beijing and Manila have a long history of maritime territorial disputes in the South China Sea and there have been repeated confrontations between their vessels near disputed reefs in recent months.
“They are the ones who entered our territory,” Philippine Defence Secretary Teodoro said.
They are the ones who entered our territory … they see this as their way to use force, intimidate and bend the Philippines
“No country believes [their claims] and they see this as their way to use force, intimidate and bend the Philippines to their ambitions.”
The latest incident took place on Saturday near Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands during a regular Philippine mission to resupply Filipino troops garrisoned on the BRP Sierra Madre, a grounded navy ship.
The Philippines said the China Coast Guard blocked its supply vessel and damaged it with water cannon, injuring three soldiers.
The China Coast Guard has defended its actions, describing them as “lawful regulation, interception and expulsion” of a foreign vessel that “tried to forcefully intrude” into Chinese waters.
On Monday, Manila conveyed its “strong protest against the aggressive actions undertaken by the China Coast Guard and Chinese Maritime Militia against the rotation and resupply mission undertaken by the Philippines in Ayungin Shoal,” the Department of Foreign Affairs said, using the Filipino name for Second Thomas Shoal.
It said the Philippine embassy in Beijing also lodged a similar protest with the Chinese foreign ministry.
“In these demarches, the Philippines stressed, among others, that China has no right to be in Ayungin Shoal,” the foreign affairs department said.
“The Philippines demands that Chinese vessels leave the vicinity of Ayungin Shoal and the Philippine exclusive economic zone immediately.”
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Philippines accuses Chinese coastguard of firing water cannons at its vessels in disputed waters
It is the same location where Chinese ships have unleashed water cannon and collided with Filipino vessels in similar stand-offs in recent months.
China’s embassy in the Philippines said on Monday it had complained to Manila’s foreign ministry over what it termed the “illegal intrusion” of the Southeast Asian country’s ships into its waters.
“On March 25, the Chinese embassy in the Philippines made solemn representations to the Philippine Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the recent illegal intrusion of Philippine ships into Ren’ai Reef to carry out the replenishment of supplies,” the embassy said in a statement on social media service WeChat, using the Chinese name for Second Thomas Shoal.
Despite the incident at the weekend, Philippine officials said the damaged vessel and a coastguard escort ship that came to its aid later deployed rigid-hull inflatable boats to deliver its cargo and personnel to the outpost.
Filipino soldiers stationed on the shoal live on the crumbling BRP Sierra Madre, and require frequent resupplies for food, water and other necessities as well as transport for personnel rotations.
Apart from supplies and equipment, the Philippine military said six navy personnel were delivered to the BRP Sierra Madre on Saturday, replacing one soldier who was recently evacuated on medical grounds.
The damaged supply boat and its escorts sailed back to port after completing their mission, the task force said.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse
