Cagayan de Oro City 2nd district Rep. Rufus Rodriguez (Facebook)

Who says the Philippines is alone in its stance against Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea (WPS)?

Cagayan de Oro City 2nd district Rep. Rufus Rodriguez trumpeted on Friday, June 28 the condemnation by lawmakers from the European Union (EU) and 23 nations all over the world of China’s aggressive activities in the WPS.

Their collective condemnation is contained in a statement on “Chinese Coast Guard aggression and provocation” issued by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), a group of parliamentarians formed on June 4, 2020 on the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre.

The alliance aims “help counter the threat of China’s growing influence poses to global trade, security and human rights".

Rodriguez, one of two Filipino lawmakers who signed the statement, said the declaration was circulated online three days ago.

It was signed by 33 parliamentarians from the EU and 23 countries, including the Philippines, United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Netherlands, France, Norway, and Sweden, he said.

“We thank them and appreciate their support for our country, which has been at the receiving end of China’s intrusive and aggressive activities in the West Philippine Sea and inside our own 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ),” Rodriguez said.

The other Filipino congressman who signed the statement was Adrian Michael Amatong of Zamboanga del Norte.

In their collective statement, the parliamentarians said, “We, the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, are united in condemning aggressive and provocative behavior by the Chinese Coast Guard around the Spratly Islands.”

It said China is seeking to impose and enforce “no trespass” rules around Second Thomas Shoal or Ayungin Shoal, which is within the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Philippines.

“These rules have no basis in law. On the contrary, in 2016, when asked about the matter, the Arbitral Tribunal established by the United Nations Convention on the Laws Of the Sea - to which both the Philippines and China are a party - ruled that the Shoal was in the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Philippines,” the alliance said.

Despite the arbitral ruling, the group said China “seems intent to pursue an escalatory path, disrupting Filipino operations in the area, employing violent tactics, and risking conflict by testing the commitment of the United States to defend the Philippines".

The parliamentarians reminded Beijing that “No international body recognises their claim of jurisdiction over the Second Thomas Shoal, regardless of the outlandish assertions of the so-called Nine Dash Line.”

Meanwhile, they applauded the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) “for showing restraint in the face of extreme provocation.”

They also called on their governments “to condemn Beijing’s disregard for the judgments of legitimate international bodies".

“Finally, we call upon our governments to express solidarity for the Philippines, who are having to endure persistent and aggressive intrusions from the Chinese authorities,” the alliance said.

Other lawmakers who signed the IPAC declaration were those from Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lithuania, Ukraine, North Macedonia, Albania, Ireland, Romania, Paraguay, and Czechia.