2023-04-30 01:00:17
The United States on Saturday called on Beijing to end its “provocative and dangerous” action in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, after a near-miss collision between a Chinese coast guard vessel and a Philippine vessel. “We call on Beijing to desist from its provocative and dangerous action,” a spokesperson for the US State Department said in a statement, reaffirming its support for its “ally” the Philippines, as the incident strained the relations between China and Manila.
China on Friday accused the Philippines of “deliberately” wanting to cause an incident in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, after a near collision between two coastguard vessels from each of these countries. In its response to Beijing, Manila assures that “routine patrols in our own waters cannot be premeditated or provocative” and are “a legal right that we have exercised and will continue to exercise”.
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The incident occurred near the Spratly Islands on Sunday, the day after Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang held talks in the Philippine capital with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr aimed precisely at defusing discord in these disputed waters. Mr. Marcos is soon to meet his American counterpart Joe Biden at the White House over growing regional tensions.
A Chinese Coast Guard vessel cut off a Philippine Coast Guard vessel half the size and they ended up 45 meters apart, narrowly avoiding a collision, according to the boat’s captain Filipino on board which were journalists. An AFP team, invited to a second Philippine building to participate in a six-day patrol, witnessed the unfolding of the incident, the latest in a long series.
Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, ignoring a 2016 international judgment that found its claims to have no legal basis.
Tensions around a reef
China has redeveloped and militarized there, over the past ten years, thousands of hectares of reefs where landing strips, ports and radar systems have grown. On Sunday, two Philippine Coast Guard vessels headed for Second Thomas Reef (Ren’ai for China, Ayungin for the Philippines).
The latter is located about 200 km from the Philippine island of Palawan and more than a thousand kilometers from the nearest Chinese lands, namely the island of Hainan. As the “Malapuasca” approached the reef, a Chinese coast guard vessel suddenly cut her off. A collision was on the verge of happening.
“By rushing into the waters of Ren’ai Reef with journalists on board, the Philippine boat committed a premeditated provocation and deliberately sought confrontation to create media hype,” a diplomatic spokeswoman said on Friday. Chinese, Mao Ning. The crew of the Chinese boat acted “professionally and with restraint”, she said.
According to her, “the Chinese Coast Guard vessel ensured the security of China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime order in accordance with law, while taking appropriate measures to avoid the dangerous approach of Philippine boats and avoid a collision “.
His counterpart in the Philippines, Teresita Daza, accused the Chinese coast guard of putting the Filipino crew in “serious danger”.
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