The Philippines has filed two protests with China over the pointing of a radar gun at a Philippine Navy ship and for declaring parts of Philippine territory as part of Hainan province, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teddy Boy Locsin confirmed Wednesday.
On his Twitter account, Locsin said the Chinese Embassy in Manila at 5:15 p.m. received the twin protests, which he said were “both violations of international law and Philippine sovereignty.”
China recently announced its creation of two new districts in the South China Sea, which included the Paracel island group near Vietnam and the Spratly island group in the West Philippine Sea.
Beijing said the new districts were placed under the control of the Chinese city of Sansha in Hainan province.
"We worked on this the whole day. And that is all that will be said on it because diplomatic notes are strictly confidential between the two states parties. Period," Locsin added without further details.
Before the creation of the new districts, a China Coast Guard ship harassed and sank a Vietnamese boat in the maritime area, an incident that the Philippines protested.
Beijing also established two research stations in its artificial islands in Fiery Cross and Subi reefs.
Recently, China named 80 features in the South China Sea—a move that violates international law and aggravates tensions in the volatile region.
Former Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario earlier urged the Philippines to protest China’s moves, saying Beijing actions only show it "has been relentless in exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic as it continues to pursue its illegal and expansive claims in the South China Sea."