Chinese military warns Philippines against provocations in South China Sea
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The two countries have been engaged in a long-running maritime stand-off in the strategic waterway.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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BEIJING – China’s military on Sept 14 said it had conducted routine patrols in the South China Sea and warned the Philippines against any provocations.
The two countries have been engaged in a long-running maritime stand-off in the strategic waterway that has included regular clashes between coast guard ships and massive naval exercises.
A spokesperson for the Chinese military’s Southern Theatre Command said the Philippines must immediately stop provoking incidents and escalating tensions in the South China Sea.
“We sternly warn the Philippine side to immediately stop provoking incidents and escalating tensions in the South China Sea, as well as bringing in external forces for backing such efforts that are destined to be futile,” the spokesperson added. “Any attempt to stir up trouble or disrupt the situation will not succeed.”
The Philippine maritime council and armed forces did not immediately respond to questions outside office hours. The Philippine embassy in Beijing also did not immediately respond.
The US Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement that Japan, the Philippines and the US conducted joint maritime exercises in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone from Sept 11 to 13 to strengthen regional cooperation and support a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
“The US, along with our allies and partners, upholds the right to freedom of navigation and overflight and other lawful uses of the sea and international airspace, as well as respect to the maritime rights under international law,” it said.
The US stands with the Philippines, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sept 12, rejecting what he described as China’s “destabilising plans” for a disputed atoll in the South China Sea.
Calls to Japan’s Foreign Ministry on Sept 14 went unanswered outside of business hours, and a person answering a call at the Defence Ministry said no one could respond to a query on the issue over the weekend.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea – a waterway carrying more than US$3 trillion (S$3.8 trillion) of annual commerce – despite overlapping claims by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam. REUTERS
