Philippine business groups make rare statement amid South China Sea tensions
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China claims almost all of the South China Sea as its own, infuriating neighbouring countries.
PHOTO: REUTERS
MANILA – Business groups on June 21 deplored the harassment of the Philippine military, in comments that come after a recent clash between navy personnel and the Chinese coast guard in the disputed South China Sea.
“We appeal for unity towards a non-violent resolution that respects our rights as a peace-loving nation,” the business groups said in a rare joint statement, which did not mention China by name.
The group – composed of 17 business organisations, including the Makati Business Club and the Management Association of the Philippines – also urged the government to “pursue with utmost urgency” measures to transform the country’s military and coast guard into a modern, self-reliant force.
“We deplore the continued harassment of the AFP, the PCG and, most of all, our people who are just trying to earn their livelihood,” it said, referring to the acronyms of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Coast Guard.
The Philippine Foreign Ministry has denounced as “illegal and aggressive” China’s actions during a routine resupply mission on June 17 to a disputed atoll, which the Philippine military said severely injured a navy sailor
But China’s Foreign Ministry disputed this, with a spokesman saying the necessary measures taken were lawful, professional and beyond reproach.
The Second Thomas Shoal lies inside the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea and Scarborough Shoal, a rich fishing ground.
China claims almost all of the South China Sea as its own, infuriating neighbouring countries.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 found China’s sweeping claims have no legal basis, a ruling Beijing rejects. REUTERS
