China claimed the Filipino crew on board a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ship that was on a resupply mission last week in Ayungin Shoal intruder into its waters resulting to the laser-pointing by a Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessel.
In a statement shared by the Chinese Embassy in Manila on Monday, February 13, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesman Wang Wenbin said that PCG did not seek for any permission to enter the Chinese waters, stressing that Ayungin Shoal or what they call Ren’ai Reef under Nansha Islands territory.
“The Ren’ai Reef is part of China’s Nansha Islands. On February 6, a Philippine Coast Guard vessel intruded into the waters off the Ren’ai Reef without Chinese permission,” Wang said.
Wang stressed that China acted just “In accordance with China’s domestic law and international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The China Coast Guard ship upheld China’s sovereignty and maritime order and acted in a professional and restrained way,” he said.
“We hope the Philippine side will respect China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea and avoid taking any actions that may exacerbate disputes and complicate the situation.”
The United States (US), however, condemned the harassment and said that it supports the Philippines’ stand against China’s recent “provocative and unsafe action.”
US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that Washington “stands with our Philippine allies in upholding the rules-based international maritime order,” after the military-grade laser-aiming at BRP Malapascua last week.
“The PRC’s (People’s Republic of China) conduct was provocative and unsafe, resulting in the temporary blindness of the crew members of the BRP Malapascua and interfering with the Philippines’ lawful operations in and around Second Thomas Shoal,” Price said.
“More broadly, the PRC’s dangerous operational behavior directly threatens regional peace and stability, infringes upon freedom of navigation in the South China Sea as guaranteed under international law, and undermines the rules-based international order,” he added.
Price reiterated that China has no lawful maritime claims to Ayungin Shoal citing the 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration which grants the Philippines sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
“We call upon the PRC to abide by the ruling,” he said.
The PCG reported on Monday that a CCG vessel aimed a military-grade laser light at the BRP Malapascua on February 6, while it was on a rotation and resupply mission in Ayungin or Second Thomas Shoal causing “temporary blindness of the crew members of the BRP Malapascua,” endangering the lives of its Filipino crew.
Discussion about this post