The Philippines is not bowing to China's demand to remove one of the country's military vessels in the West Philippine Sea as it is part of its exclusive economic zone.
Territorial fight over the West Philippine Sea, particularly in the waters off Ayungin Shoal, on Tuesday continued as Beijing kept asserting its integrity over the waters, where its coast guard attacked Philippine personnel using a water cannon.
Claiming the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) disregarded its dissuasion and intruded into the waters it is illegally claiming, China said the Philippines must "tow away" its vessel there as the latter supposedly already promised during the same incident in 1999.
"Ren'ai Jiao has always been part of China's Nansha Qundao. The historical context of the issue of Ren’ai Jiao is very clear. In 1999, the Philippines sent a military vessel and deliberately ran it aground at Ren’ai Jiao, attempting to change the status quo of Ren'ai Jiao illegally," China's Foreign Ministry said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has responded:
"The Philippines decided in 1999 to deploy a permanent station on Ayungin Shoal in response to China’s illegal occupation of Panganiban Reef in 1995. The deployment of a Philippine military station in its own areas of jurisdiction is an inherent right of the Philippines and does not violate any laws," DFA said.
"Moreover, the Philippine station on Ayungin Shoal was deployed in 1999, years ahead of the conclusion in 2002 of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), and is therefore not a violation of the DOC," it added.
The Philippines also argued that the Ayungin Shoal, "as explicitly stated in the Award of the 2016 South China Sea Arbitration, is a low-tide elevation that is not subject to sovereignty claims or appropriation," so China could not justify its attack on the basis of protecting its sovereignty.
DFA said China "impeded the Philippines' legitimate and regular activities in its own exclusive economic zone."
It added China also violated relevant provisions of the following:
- 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)
- the Award on the 2016 South China Sea Arbitration
- the 1972 Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLGRES), and
- the 2002 ASEAN-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties
"The 2016 Arbitral Award is based on UNCLOS and affirms UNCLOS. It is final, legal and binding. China as a state party to UNCLOS is well aware of that and we call on China to faithfully adhere to its obligations and commitments as a state party to UNCLOS," DFA said.
China, on the other hand, maintained its ground and said it would continue to fight for the water it continuously claims.
China also asked the Philippines to stop sending construction materials supposedly meant for repairing and reinforcing the grounded military vessel on a large scale.
"The Philippines is China's important maritime neighbor. Important common understandings exist between our two sides on managing maritime disputes," it said.
Beijing also suggested to settle its dispute with Manila through dialogue. But the Philippines had already expressed frustration that various diplomatic initiatives, including note verbales and direct communication mechanism, were not working.
"China stands ready to continue to work with the Philippines to properly handle maritime issues through dialogue and consultation and jointly uphold bilateral relations and maritime stability," China said.