The foreign ministry of the Philippines stated on Thursday that China has no right to object to or interfere with its “lawful and routine activities” in the South China Sea.
The ministry said it also “rejects and refutes” recent statements of the Chinese embassy in Manila that Beijing has indisputable sovereignty over the Spratly islands.
The Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and China, between them, have claims and a presence on dozens of features in the Spratly archipelago, ranging from reefs and rocks to islands, natural and artificial. China’s manmade islands include runways, radar towers, ports and missile systems.
“We urge China to respect the Philippines’ sovereignty and jurisdiction, even as we continue to pursue peaceful and legal means to manage differences and the situation at sea,” foreign ministry spokesperson Teresita Daza said in a statement.
Tensions Flare In Waters
China and the Philippines traded accusations last week following a confrontation between two of their vessels in contested waters of the South China Sea, the latest incident in a long-running row in the strategic waterway.
The Philippines’ fisheries bureau said the lives of a civilian crew were put at risk when the Chinese coast guard fired water cannons and sideswiped a vessel as it conducted marine research around a disputed reef.
The Chinese coast guard said two Philippine vessels had illegally entered waters near Subi Reef, a Chinese-built artificial island, and organised personnel to land on the unoccupied sandbars of Sandy Cay.
“The Philippines is clearly within its rights to conduct routine maritime operations and scientific research in and around these features, and will continue to do so,” Daza said. “China has no right to object, much less interfere with these lawful and routine activities.”
China claims sovereignty over nearly all the South China Sea, including parts of the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. An international arbitral tribunal in 2016 said Beijing’s expansive claim has no basis under international law.
The Chinese embassy, in its statement sent to the media on Monday, said the Philippines had since January made 27 “unauthorised landings” on features, despite a 2002 agreement among Southeast Asian countries and China to refrain from doing so.
(With inputs from Reuters)
