Stressing that China “has no right” to be in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal and its vessels must “leave” immediately, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Monday, March 25, summoned Chinese Embassy in Manila’s charge d’affaires to lodge a “strong protest” against the recent water cannon incident in the disputed area.
DFA (File Photo/MANILA BULLETIN)
In a statement released by DFA spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza, the agency said that the Philippine Embassy in Beijing has also been instructed to file a similar protest with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“In these demarches, the Philippines stressed, among others, that China has no right to be in Ayungin Shoal, a low-tide elevation that lies within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and continental shelf in accordance with the 1982 UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) and as affirmed by the 2016 Arbitral Award,” the statement read.
“China’s continued interference with the Philippines’ routine and lawful activities in its own exclusive economic zone is unacceptable,” it stressed.
The latest “aggressive actions” by the China Coast Guard (CCG) and Chinese Maritime Militia infringed upon the Philippines’ sovereign rights and jurisdiction, the DFA emphasized.
“The Philippines demands that Chinese vessels leave the vicinity of Ayungin Shoal and the Philippine exclusive economic zone immediately,” it furthered.
The protest came after the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) reported that the CCG once more fired water cannons at a Philippine supply vessel in the Ayungin Shoal.
The attack caused “heavy damage” to Unaizah May 4 [UM4], the AFP said, condemning the CCG further for performing a dangerous maneuver by crossing the bow against the Philippine vessel en route to the shoal “for the rotation and resupply mission for the Filipino soldiers stationed in BRP Sierra Madre.”
In the statement, the Philippines questioned China’s “sincerity” to lower the tensions in the disputed region that Beijing claims wholly as its own based on its historic 10-dash line.
It stressed that the Philippines “has made sincere efforts” to implement the instructions of both President Marcos and Chinese President Xi Jinping to manage the disputes and lower the tensions.
However, “China’s aggressive actions call into question its sincerity in lowering the tensions and promoting peace and stability in the South China Sea.”
“Even as the Philippines continues to engage China in dialogue and diplomacy at the bilateral and multilateral levels, China’s aggressive actions contradict and put to waste ASEAN-China efforts to promote practical activities to foster peace and cooperation in the region,” it added.
“The Philippines urges China to take the correct track of abiding by international law and respecting the legitimate rights of other states like the Philippines, and to cease and desist from its continued violation of international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS and the 2016 Arbitral Award.”
The shoal has been the site of multiple similar incidents in recent months as Philippine vessels were attacked by CCG’s water cannons while on their way to the BRP Sierra Madre, a commissioned Philippine naval vessel permanently stationed in Ayungin Shoal since 1999 “to serve as a constant Philippine government presence in response to China's illegal occupation in 1995 of Panganiban Reef, also known as Mischief Reef.”
The shoal lies about 200 kilometers from Palawan island, but more than 1,000 kilometers from China’s southern Hainan island.
To date, Daza noted that some 21 countries have expressed support to the Philippines.
“The DFA thanks the international community for their continued expressions of support to the Philippines and the defense of the international order based on international law,” she said.
Among these were France, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, Romania, Netherlands, Republic of Korea, Finland, Ireland, Czech Republic, the European Union, Japan, Canada, Poland, Italy, Hungary, Germany, Denmark, and the United States.