China has done it again. And we’re afraid it won’t be the last.
In the latest incident in the South China Sea, a Chinese Coast Guard vessel fired water cannons at Philippine Coast Guard ships escorting boats carrying food, water, fuel and other supplies for military personnel stationed on the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal that is part of our Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
We are therefore well within our right to protest this incident.
There’s the Philippine Coast Guard, which strongly condemned the CCG’s “dangerous maneuvers and illegal use of water cannons against the PCG vessels escorting the indigenous boats chartered by the Armed Forces of the Philippines.”
It also called on the Chinese Coast Guard to restrain its forces, respect the sovereign rights of the Philippines in its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, refrain from hampering freedom of navigation, and take appropriate actions against those involved in the incident.”
The Armed Forces of the Philippines also called CCG’s actions “excessive and offensive.”
It said a second boat was unable to unload supplies and could not complete the rotation and resupply mission following the incident. It likewise urged the China Coast Guard and the Central Military Commission “to act with prudence and be responsible in their actions to prevent miscalculations and accidents that will endanger peoples’ lives.”
Both the PCG and the AFP pointed out that China’s latest aggressive maneuvers violated the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2016 Arbitral Award that favored the country’s sovereignty over its 200-mile EEZ.
This is by no means an isolated incident. In July, the PCG reported that Chinese ships shadowed and obstructed its vessels in a support mission.
Earlier, in April, a CCG vessel cut off a Philippine patrol vessel carrying journalists, causing a near-collision.
Ample proof that we stand on solid ground in condemning China’s recent actions in the South China Sea is that the United States and other countries such as Australia, Japan, Canada, United Kingdom as well as the European Union also released statements calling out China’s “unacceptable” and “destabilizing” maneuvers in waters within our EEZ. They agreed that the CCG’s unsafe blocking movements had “interfered with the Philippines’ lawful exercise of high seas freedom of navigation and jeopardized the safety of the Philippine vessels and crew.”
Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea on the basis of a mythical “nine-dash line” bereft of any historical nor legal basis.
It also continues to ignore the international ruling that invalidated its expansive maritime claims.
The Senate has taken the right step in adopting a resolution strongly condemning the continued harassment of Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea by the Chinese Coast Guard and militia vessels, as well as the persistent incursions of China into Philippine territory.
We reiterate our clear and unequivocal stand that China should recognize our sovereignty over our EEZ as defined by UNCLOS and stop harassment of our Coast Guard vessels protecting what is rightfully ours according to international law.