China’s embassy in Manila on Thursday, May 2, shrugged off several countries’ expression of concern over the Chinese aggression on the Philippine vessels by saying they do not represent the international community and are just only taking side.
The embassy also blamed President Marcos’ administration for the developments in the waters as the government is only bringing Filipino fisherfolk to the frontline of the maritime dispute as well as provoking tension.
The embassy made several statements after its Coast Guard fired a water cannon on two Philippine ships conducting a food supply mission in the waters off Bajo de Masinloc.
It had already justified its action by saying the vessels supposedly illegally entered into the waters that China claims to be its own.
China’s latest aggression—among the many others—was called condemned by about a dozen countries, including the United States, and was protested by the Philippine government.
“Over the past one year, the same batch of countries issued statements on maritime incidents between China and the Philippines,” the embassy said.
“Instead of speaking on the true merits of the matter, those statements were intended to take side. Against nearly 200 countries in the world, this batch of countries cannot represent the international community,” it added.
The embassy also claimed that the current administration is the one provoking the tension, not like the past administrations that had supposedly handled the sea dispute well.
The embassy said the current Philippine government, unlike the past ones, “crossed the red line in Huangyan Dao,” or the Scarborough Shoal, as well as supposedly “reneged on its own words on the management of Renai Jiao and unilaterally abandoned the Gentlemen’s Agreement, Internal Understanding and New Model agreed upon by the two sides.”
Beijing has been citing various agreements that Manila supposedly entered into with them regarding the South China Sea. But it has not provided any proof yet.
“This is the real cause of maritime incidents that heightened tension in the South China Sea over the past year,” the embassy said.
It also said that Marcos’ administration only “hustles the fishfolks to the frontline of maritime disputes in the name of humanitarian assistance” out of its “political agenda.”
“This is what’s truly sad,” it said.