Allies condemn latest harassment
Four of the country’s allies have condemned China’s latest harassment of a Filipino vessel in the West Philippine Sea, the fifth to be recorded in only a month.
The Aug. 31 incident was reported by Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Commodore Jay Tarriela, who said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that “this [Saturday] afternoon, the Chinese coast guard vessel deliberately rammed and collided with the BRP Teresa Magbanua three times, despite no provocation from the PCG.”
Although no one on board the BRP Magbanua was injured, the Chinese vessel caused significant damage to one of the PCG’s largest vessels, creating a hole in the freeboard (above the waterline of the hull) and damaging its bridge wing.
The PCG ship has been anchored at Escoda (Sabina) Shoal, which is within the country’s 370-kilometer exclusive economic zone (EEZ), since April 15.
Saturday’s harassment was the fifth to be recorded in August, signaling an escalation in Beijing’s efforts to assert control over the shoal.
Threat to freedoms
In a statement also on Saturday, US Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller denounced China’s “dangerous and escalatory actions” against “lawful Philippine maritime operations” near Sabina Shoal.
“The People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) unlawful claims of ‘territorial sovereignty’ over ocean areas where no land territory exists, and its increasingly aggressive actions to enforce them, threaten the freedoms of navigation and overflight of all nations,” Miller said.
He cited Beijing’s series of aggression throughout the month of August and its disruption of aerial and maritime operations conducted by Manila in the South China Sea.
“The United States reiterates its call for the PRC to comport its claims and actions with international law and to desist from dangerous and destabilizing conduct,” Miller said.
He also reaffirmed his country’s commitment to the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty with the Philippines, which “extends to armed attacks on Philippine Armed Forces, public vessels or aircraft—including those of its coast guard—anywhere in the South China Sea.”
‘Destabilizing behavior’
Japan also expressed serious concern, as a stakeholder in the South China Sea, over the repeated incidents between Manila and Beijing.
“Japan opposes any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion,” Japanese Ambassador Endo Kazuya posted on X on Sunday, emphasizing that Tokyo “stands together with the Philippines” in upholding the rule of law at sea.
Similarly, Australian Ambassador HK Yu criticized China’s “destabilizing behavior” and called the repeated ramming of vessels “unacceptable and dangerous.”
“All countries must comply with international law. The 2016 arbitral award is binding on its parties,” she said, referring to the international ruling that declared as unlawful China’s claims to almost the entire South China Sea.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a statement on X, saying it joins the United States in condemning China’s “flagrant violations of international law.”
“China’s disregard for the rules-based order fuels escalating regional instability. Neither the Philippines nor other nations should be threatened by the CCP’s (Chinese Communist Party) reckless ambitions,” it added.
On Aug. 27, Taiwan also called out China over its “troubling aggression—intruding into Japan’s airspace and ramming Philippine vessels,” two days after Chinese coast guard vessels rammed and trained water cannons on a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources ship in Escoda Shoal.
Taiwan was the last stronghold of Nationalist forces retreating from mainland China amid the communist advance in 1949. China claims the self-governing island as its own territory.
‘Legal action’
The Aug. 31 incident also drew condemnation from Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada who said the Philippines has “all the reasons and enough evidence to bring the repeated and unprovoked dangerous actions of the Chinese coast guard before international courts.”
“Our government has sufficient basis to take immediate and decisive legal action to hold China accountable for its increasingly aggressive actions.
They have repeatedly endangered the lives of our brave men and women [of the] Coast Guard personnel and violated international maritime laws and sovereign rights,” Estrada said in a statement.
He added that the China Coast Guard has no right to even question the presence of BRP Teresa Magbanua in Escoda Shoal because it is situated within the Philippines’ EEZ which the arbitral court ruled to be within the country’s sovereign rights and jurisdiction.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III said the Philippines should continue filing diplomatic protests over the incidents against China.
“There is an implication in the international law that if you did not file, it means you’re allowing such incident to happen,” he said. “We should stand our ground. That’s our EEZ so our ships have the right to patrol and monitor the area.”
