The governments of Australia and Japan on Tuesday, Feb. 14, called out China for its “intimidatory actions” in the hotly contested waters of the South China Sea shortly after the China Coast Guard directed a “military grade” laser on crew members of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
In separate tweets, Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Hae Kyong Yu PSM and Japanese Ambassador to Manila Koshikawa Kazuhiko raised concerns about China’s recent actions.
“Australia shares concerns about unsafe and intimidatory actions directed against the Philippines. We continue to call for peace, stability and respect for international law in the South China Sea, a vital international waterway,” Yu wrote.
“We express serious concerns about dangerous behavior against PH vessels. All states should respect maritime order based on international law, in particular UNCLOS, and recall that 2016 Arbitral Award is final and legally binding. We firmly oppose any action that increase tensions,” Kazuhiko’s tweet read.
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The Arbitral Tribunal in The Hague ruled in July 2016 that Beijing has no basis in claiming the entirety of the resource-rich waters despite the U-shaped nine-dash line found in ancient Chinese maps.
Australia’s and Japan’s tweet came after the United States reminded China that its increasingly aggressive behavior could invoke the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty that tasks Washington to come to Manila’s defense in case of “armed attack on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft, including those of the Coast Guard in the South China Sea.”
The PCG reported that on Feb. 6, China’s Coast Guard pointed a “military grade” laser at some of the Filipino crew aboard BRP Malapascua while on a resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre near Ayungin Shoal, also known as Second Thomas Shoal, in the Spratly Islands chain, known in China as the Nansha Islands.
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China calls the shoal Renai Reef.
China claims “indisputable sovereignty” over almost all of the 1.3 million square mile West Philippine Sea, including waters and features claimed in full or in part by the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Taiwan.