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GMA Network
23-05-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
Nations express concern over China assault vs. PH vessel in Sandy Cay
Several countries have expressed concern after a Chinese vessel fired a water cannon and sideswiped a Philippine ship in Sandy Cay on Thursday. These nations include the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Netherlands. US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay L. Carlson said the action of the China Coast Guard (CCG) threatens regional stability. 'The China Coast Guard's aggressive actions against a lawful ???????? civilian mission near Sandy Cay recklessly endangered lives and threaten regional stability. We stand with our ???????? allies in support of international law and a #FreeAndOpenIndoPacific,' she said. British Ambassador to the Philippines Laure Beaufils condemned the CCG's activity and pointed out that international law must be observed. 'The UK condemns latest dangerous activity by the Chinese Coast Guard against Philippines civilian vessels near Sandy Cay today, risking lives & raising tensions. A worrying escalation of behaviour. International law & the legally binding 2016 Arbitral Award must be respected,' she said. The UK condemns latest dangerous activity by the Chinese Coast Guard against Philippines civilian vessels near Sandy Cay today, risking lives & raising tensions. A worrying escalation of behaviour. International law & the legally binding 2016 Arbitral Award must be respected. — Ambassador Laure Beaufils ???????? (@LaureBeaufils) May 22, 2025 European Union (EU) Ambassador to the Philippines Massimo Santoro expressed support to the Philippines as he reiterated that the 2016 South China Sea arbitration must be upheld. 'Very concerned about the latest dangerous actions against Philippine civilian scientific vessels in the South China Sea. EU stands with PH and reiterates the importance of upholding UNCLOS and the rules-based international order, including the 2016 South China Sea arbitration,' he said. Very concerned about the latest dangerous actions against Philippine civilian scientific vessels in the South China Sea. ???????? stands with ???????? and reiterates the importance of upholding UNCLOS and the rules-based international order, including the 2016 South China Sea arbitration. — EU Ambassador to the PH ???????????????? (@EUAmbPH) May 22, 2025 Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Endo Kazuya said their country stands firm in defending a free and open Indo-Pacific following the Chinese vessel's use of water cannons against the Philippine ship. 'Very concerned about the dangerous actions including use of water cannons against th PH BFAR vessel. Japan upholds the rule of law & stands firm in defending a Free ? Open Indo-Pacific,' he said. Very concerned about the dangerous actions including use of water cannons against the???????? BFAR vessel.???????? upholds the rule of law & stands firm in defending a Free ? Open Indo-Pacific.#FOIP — Ambassador of Japan in the Philippines (@AmbJPNinPH) May 22, 2025 The Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on the involved parties to exercise restraint and resolve disputes peacefully. 'MOFA is deeply concerned by China Coast Guard's dangerous actions against #Philippine civilian vessels near Sandy Cay. Such coercion threatens regional peace. Taiwan stands with the Philippines & urges all parties to exercise restraint & resolve disputes peacefully,' it said. MOFA is deeply concerned by China Coast Guard's dangerous actions against #Philippine civilian vessels near Sandy Cay. Such coercion threatens regional peace. #Taiwan???????? stands with the #Philippines???????? & urges all parties to exercise restraint & resolve disputes peacefully. — ??? Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan) ???????? (@MOFA_Taiwan) May 22, 2025 Australian Ambassador to the Philippines HK Yu said China's actions against the Philippines are dangerous and destabilising. 'Australia is concerned by the latest actions directed against the Philippines, which are dangerous and destabilising. We reiterate our call for peace, stability, and respect for UNCLOS in the South China Sea - a vital international waterway,' she said. Australia is concerned by the latest actions directed against the Philippines, which are dangerous and destabilising. We reiterate our call for peace, stability, and respect for UNCLOS in the South China Sea - a vital international waterway. — Australian Ambassador to the Philippines (@AusAmbPH) August 6, 2023 The New Zealand Embassy in Manila said the actions against Philippine ships are troubling as the use of water cannons and contact between vessels risk safety at sea. 'Yesterday's dangerous actions against PH scientific vessels near Sandy Cay are troubling. Use of water cannons and contact between vessels risks safety at sea. Peaceful resolution of maritime disputes in accordance with UNCLOS is fundamental to regional stability,' it said. The Embassy of Canada in the Philippines opposed China's coercive and intimidation activities in the South China Sea. 'Canada is alarmed by China's latest dangerous actions in the South China Sea, including the use of water cannons and ramming a civilian Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessel conducting marine scientific research near Sandy Cay. We strongly oppose China's coercive and intimidation activities in the South China Sea, including near Sandy Cay,' it said. Meanwhile, the Netherlands' Ambassador to the Philippines Marielle Geraedts pointed out the importance of freedom of navigation following the incident in Sandy Cay. 'Freedom of navigation is important to us all. We are concerned about the use of watercanons and dangerous manouvres against civilian vessels today. The Netherlands stand with the Philippines in upholding #UNCLOS and the 2016 arbitral ruling,' she said. Freedom of navigation is important to us all. We are concerned about the use of watercanons and dangerous manouvres against civilian vessels today. ???????? stand with ???????? in upholding #UNCLOS and the 2016 arbitral ruling. — Marielle Geraedts (@geraedtsmariel) May 22, 2025 CCG vessel 21559 reportedly fired water cannon and sideswiped a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel in Pag-asa Cay 2 (Sandy Cay) in the WPS on Thursday. BFAR said its BRP Datu Sanday and BRP Datu Pagbuaya were on a routine mission with a scientific team to collect sand samples in the area when the incident happened. CCG said that it took "control measures" against the Philippine vessels which it said "illegally intruded" into waters near Subi Reef and Sandy Cay. Liu Dejun, the CCG spokesperson, claimed that one of the Philippine vessels "dangerously" approached and collided with their ship, and that responsibility "lies entirely" with the Philippine side. Tensions continue as Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual shipborne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei. Parts of the South China Sea that fall within Philippine territory have been renamed by the government as West Philippine Sea to reinforce the country's claim. The West Philippine Sea refers to the maritime areas on the western side of the Philippine archipelago including Luzon Sea and the waters around, within and adjacent to the Kalayaan Island Group and Bajo de Masinloc. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines over China's claims in the South China Sea, saying that it had "no legal basis." China has refused to recognize the decision.—AOL, GMA Integrated News
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
U.S. condemns 'dangerous' Chinese maneuvers after close encounter with Philippine plane
HONG KONG — The United States condemned Wednesday what it called 'dangerous maneuvers' by China after a Chinese navy helicopter flew within 10 feet of a Philippine patrol plane in a disputed area of the South China Sea. The incident took place Tuesday morning local time as a plane belonging to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources was flying what Philippine officials said was a routine low-altitude patrol over the Scarborough Shoal, an atoll that is mostly underwater but is rich in fish stocks. Video shared by the Philippine coast guard showed the Chinese People's Liberation Army navy helicopter hovering above and to the left of the Philippine plane before moving away again in an effort to push the plane out of what Beijing says is its airspace. 'We condemn the dangerous maneuvers by a PLA Navy helicopter that endangered pilots and passengers on a Philippine air mission,' U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay L. Carson said in a post on the social media platform X. 'We call on China to refrain from coercive actions and settle its disputes peacefully in accordance with international law.' The Philippines, the oldest U.S. treaty ally in Asia, has been strengthening its security ties with the U.S., Japan, Australia and others as it increasingly clashes with China in the South China Sea, a strategically important shipping route that Beijing claims virtually in its entirety. There are a number of territorial disputes in the South China Sea involving China, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and Taiwan. But tensions between China and the Philippines have been especially high in the last two years as they spar over the Scarborough Shoal as well as the Second Thomas Shoal, where the Philippines intentionally grounded a navy ship in 1999 to establish a military outpost. In a call with his Philippine counterpart last month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio underscored the 'ironclad' U.S. commitment to the Philippines, which it is obligated to defend, and said he shared the Philippines' concern about China's 'dangerous and destabilizing actions' in the South China Sea. The Philippine plane was carrying personnel from the Philippine coast guard, as well as multiple journalists, officials said. 'You are flying too close, you are very dangerous and it endangers the lives of our crew and passengers,' the video shows the pilot of the Philippine plane telling the Chinese navy helicopter by radio. The Philippine government said it would issue a formal diplomatic protest over the incident. 'This blatantly hazardous action endangered the safety of the pilots and passengers onboard,' the Philippines' Presidential Office for Maritime Concerns said in a statement Tuesday. 'It demonstrated a lack of regard for internationally accepted norms on good airmanship and flight safety.' 'China's illegal, aggressive and coercive behavior will not deter the Philippines from continuing the conduct of its routine maritime operations in accordance with its sovereignty over the shoal,' the statement continued. The Chinese military disputed the Philippines' account, saying the plane had illegally entered Chinese airspace and that the Philippines had 'distorted the facts and spread false narratives.' 'The Southern Theater Command organized naval and air forces to track, monitor and warn the aircraft to leave based on laws and regulations,' Col. Tian Junli, spokesperson for the command, said in a statement. 'The Philippine action severely violated China's sovereignty and grossly infringed upon international law.' The Philippines has accused China of escalating its tactics against its coast guard and other personnel, including the use of water cannons and a military-grade laser, while China also sees the Philippines' behavior in the area as increasingly provocative. In a dispute brought by the Philippines, an international tribunal in The Hague said in 2016 that Beijing's South China Sea claims were invalid, a ruling that China has never accepted. The Philippines has also invited local and foreign media to join its air and sea patrols, prompting China to accuse it of 'hyping up' confrontations to gain support from the U.S. and others. The latest incident between China and the Philippines came a week after Australia accused China of 'unsafe and unprofessional' actions toward an Australian air force plane conducting what it said was a routine patrol in international airspace above the South China Sea. The Australian Defense Ministry said a Chinese PLA fighter jet had released flares within 100 feet of the aircraft. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Thursday that the Australian military plane had deliberately intruded into Chinese airspace and that China had taken 'legitimate, lawful, professional and restrained measures' to expel it. This article was originally published on
