Nobody has the right to ask the 44 Chinese vessels to leave the Julian Felipe Reef, an area that Beijing claims is “part of China’s Nansha Islands” and traditional fishing ground for its fishermen, the Chinese Embassy in Manila said over the weekend.
The latest Chinese Embassy statement was a direct rebuke to an earlier call of Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana for the remaining Chinese vessels moored at Julian Felipe Reef (Niu’e Jiao in Chinese) to leave the area.
“The Niu'e Jiao is part of China's Nansha Islands. The waters around Niu’e Jiao has been a traditional fishing ground for Chinese fishermen for many years. The Chinese fishermen have been fishing in the waters for their livelihood every year. It is completely normal for Chinese fishing vessels to fish in the waters and take shelter near the reef during rough sea conditions. Nobody has the right to make wanton remarks on such activities,” the Chinese Embassy said in a statement posted on its social media platforms.
China further expressed hope that concerned Philippine authorities “would make constructive efforts and avoid any unprofessional remarks which may further fan irrational emotions.”
This statement came a day after Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. came back from a three-day official visit to China on the invitation of Chinese State Counselor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
According to China’s state-run news agency Xinhua, the meeting between the two senior ministers took place in Nanping City, Fujian Province on Friday focusing on vaccine cooperation, the Belt and Road Initiative, and the completion of China-backed projects in the Philippines.
Although there was no mention on whether the two sides had discussed the brewing tension at Julian Felipe Reef, Wang was reported as conveying to Locsin China's willingness “to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, to accelerate consultations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, so as to maintain stability in the region,” among others.
Locsin was also quoted as telling his Chinese counterpart that the Philippines is “committed to further developing bilateral relations”, even as he thanked China for its support in fighting the epidemic, particularly the aid and provision of vaccines to the Philippines.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has yet to release a statement on the outcome of Locsin's latest China visit, his second under the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic.