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GMA Network
23-05-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
NMC: China's aggression vs. PH research vessels is illegal interference
The National Maritime Council (NMC) condemned Friday the aggression of China's Coast Guard personnel against Philippine research vessels in the West Philippine Sea, calling China's actions an unlawful interference. The NMC referred to the May 21 incident where BRP Datu Sanday (MMOV 3002) and BRP Datu Pagbuaya (MMOV 3003) of the Department of Agriculture Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) were attacked by a water cannon and sideswiped by Chinese vessels. At the time of the incident, the Philippine vessels were conducting routine maritime scientific research mission in the vicinity of Pag-asa Cay 2 (Sandy Cay) via routine sampling and data collection operations in support of national programs on food security, fisheries management and maritime environmental protection. They were reportedly shadowed, blocked, attacked by water cannon and sideswiped by the Chinese vessels, The incident occurred within the territorial sea of the Philippines in the area of Pag-asa Island and Pag-asa Cay 2. 'The Philippines has longstanding sovereignty and jurisdiction over Pag-asa Island and all of its cays, which form part of the Philippines' Kalayaan Island Group in the West Philippine Sea. As such, these deliberate acts of interference and intimidation seriously violate the sovereignty of the Philippines and constitute a grave violation of international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and the relevant domestic laws,' the NMC said. 'It is deeply regrettable that while the Philippines' lawful and routine maritime operations have not been provocative, these have been met by a pattern of coercive actions, unsafe conduct and blatant disinformation by Chinese maritime forces,' the NMC added. The NMC cited that while the Philippines remain committed to the peaceful settlement of disputes, it will continue to exercise its rights, protect its maritime interests, and uphold the mandates of the civilian agencies, like the DA- BFAR, in carrying out their responsibilities in its waters. 'Appropriate diplomatic actions, multilateral cooperation, and maritime capacity-building will be undertaken and sustained to ensure the safety and effectiveness of Philippine maritime operations,' the NMC added. Earlier, the China Coast Guard (CCG) said that it took 'control measures' against the Philippine vessels which it said 'illegally intruded' into waters near Subi Reef and Sandy Cay. CCG spokesperson Liu Dejun also claimed that one of the Philippine vessels 'dangerously' approached and collided with a CCG ship, and that responsibility 'lies entirely' with the Philippine side. It was on July 12, 2016 when 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.' The decision also ruled that Ayungin Shoal, the Spratly Islands, Panganiban or Mischief Reef, and Recto or Reed Bank are within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Further, the Hague court outlawed Chinese aggression in the Philippines' EEZ by stating that Scarborough Shoal, a rich fish resource, is a common fishing ground. China, however, has never recognized the ruling. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News
Straits Times
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Philippines slams ‘high-risk' Chinese naval actions near contested reef
The Scarborough Shoal has been a flashpoint since China seized it from the Philippines in 2012. PHOTO: AFP MANILA - The Philippines criticised on May 8 a 'high-risk' manoeuvre by a Chinese vessel near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in a rare incident involving warships from the two navies. The Scarborough Shoal – a triangular chain of reefs and rocks in the contested South China Sea – has been a flashpoint between the countries since China seized it from the Philippines in 2012. The May 5 encounter took place 'approximately 11.8 nautical miles south-east' of the Scarborough Shoal, the military said, during ongoing US-Philippine military exercises that Beijing has slammed as destabilising. 'The Chinese frigate BN 554 was documented tailing PS35 (BRP Emilio Jacinto) at close range, while BN 573 dangerously crossed its bow in a high-risk maneuver that created the danger of collision,' the military said in a statement, labelling the incident 'threatening and provocative'. Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad told AFP the last such encounter between warships from the two navies he could remember was on a resupply mission in the South China Sea two years ago. Mr Alexander Lopez of Manila's National Maritime Council said the Chinese vessel had been 'dangerously close' to its Philippine counterpart. The ship crossing the bow of the BRP Emilio Jacinto had come within about 180m,, he told AFP, leaving 'no room for any manoeuvre, for any emergency cases'. The Chinese vessel following alongside had been less than 100m away, he said. The Chinese embassy did not immediately return AFP's calls seeking comment. China and the Philippines have engaged in months of confrontations in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims in nearly its entirety despite an international ruling its assertion has no merit. A Filipino sailor lost a thumb last June when Chinese coast guard members wielding knives, sticks and an axe foiled a Philippine Navy attempt to resupply its troops stationed on the Second Thomas Shoal. The joint US-Philippine exercises known as Balikatan, which this year were to simulate a 'full-scale battle scenario', are set to end on May 9. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Voice of America
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Voice of America
China falsely accuses Philippines of illegal intrusion after midair standoff over South China Sea
On Feb. 18, a Chinese military helicopter flew within 3 meters of a Philippines Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources plane traveling over the contested Scarborough Shoal off the northwest Philippine coast, sparking condemnation from Washington and Manila. The incident was the latest example of China's use of force and coercion to push its neighbors to cede their maritime claims in the resource-rich South China Sea. Writing on X, U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson condemned what she called 'the dangerous maneuvers by a PLA navy helicopter that endangered pilots and passengers on a Philippine air mission.' 'We call on China to refrain from coercive actions and settle its disputes peacefully in accordance with international law,' Carlson wrote. That sentiment was echoed by the Philippines' National Maritime Council, which said China's action endangered the safety of the pilots and passengers onboard and 'demonstrated a lack of regard for internationally accepted norms on good airmanship and flight safety.' Journalists from The Associated Press and other media outlets were on the Philippine aircraft and witnessed the incident. The Philippine pilot at one point warned the Chinese navy helicopter by radio that he was violating the safety standards managing distance between aircraft set by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the International Civil Aviation Organization. Yet China said it was the Philippines that violated the law by flying over the Scarborough Shoal. "On February 18, a Philippine C-208 reconnaissance aircraft illegally intruded into China's territorial airspace over Huangyan Dao [Scarborough Shoal] without permission of Chinese government,' Air Force Senior Colonel Tian Junli, spokesperson for the Chinese People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command, said in a statement. Tian added that the Philippines had 'seriously violated China's sovereignty' and 'international law.' That is false. While China seized the Scarborough Shoal in 2012 and maintains a blockade there, China's sovereignty over the shoal is not recognized under international law. The Scarborough Shoal lies 220 kilometers east of the Philippines island of Luzon and falls within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) recognizes a country's EEZ as a roughly 307-kilometer stretch of sea extending from the coast of a given state. Under UNCLOS, the Philippines has sovereign rights to explore, exploit and manage natural resources within its EEZ, although the surface waters remain international. That means the Philippines, like other countries, enjoys freedom of overflight over the shoal. In 2016, an international tribunal in The Hague rejected China's sweeping claims to the South China Sea, ruling the country violated the Philippines' rights to its EEZ and territorial waters. China's military blockade of the shoal is illegal under the tribunal's ruling. While the tribunal said it was 'not deciding sovereignty over Scarborough Shoal,' it did find that both China and the Philippines have 'traditional fishing rights' at the shoal. The tribual further said, 'China had violated its duty to respect the traditional fishing rights of Philippine fishermen by halting access to the shoal after May 2012.' China, which does not accept the tribunal's ruling, continues to deny the Philippines those rights. China has ramped up its coast guard patrols around several maritime features that fall within the Philippines' EEZ and has repeatedly engaged in aggressive actions to drive Philippine ships and aircraft out of that region. In August 2024, two Chinese fighter jets deployed flares in the path of a Philippine aircraft flying over the Scarborough Shoal. China has also deployed flares to disrupt Philippine patrols in other parts of the South China Sea, and has harassed Philippines aircraft flying in the vicinity of the Scarborough Shoal. On Nov. 8, 2024, the Philippines signed measures reinforcing its internationally recognized rights over the country's maritime zones. China responded by holding air and sea combat drills around the shoal and publishing geographic coordinates showing the Scarborough Shoal as its own. On Feb. 19, the Philippines said it would conduct a large, 10-day military training exercise in March to help gird the country against external threats. The Philippines has also beefed up security cooperation with the United States and other partners and has conducted joint military exercises in response to China's increased militarization of the South China Sea and actions that the Philippines considers hostile.
