Philippines denounces China’s ‘dangerous’ and ‘inhumane’ actions against Filipino fishermen
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Philippine coast guard personnel attending to injured fishermen after Chinese coast guard ships used water cannon and cut the fishermen's anchor lines near Sabina Shoal on Dec 12.
PHOTO: AFP
MANILA – Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro on Dec 16 denounced what he described as “dangerous” and “inhumane” actions by Chinese maritime forces against Filipino fishermen on a contested South China Sea shoal last week.
Three Filipino fishermen were injured
“Water cannoning, aggressive manoeuvring, and the cutting of anchor lines resulting in physical injuries of Filipino civilians are wholly inconsistent with the duty of all states to ensure the safety of human lives,” Mr Teodoro said in a statement.
On Dec 15, China’s Foreign Ministry said the measures taken were necessary to safeguard its territorial sovereignty, saying the actions were “reasonable, lawful, professional and restrained”.
Mr Teodoro urged nations aspiring for regional leadership to act responsibly, and dismissed as “blatant lies” China’s assertions that the fishermen brandished knives to threaten Chinese coast guard officers.
“We call on China to stop spreading false narratives and engaging in a state-orchestrated disinformation campaign,” he said.
The Philippine Foreign Ministry said it has issued a demarche, or formal reprimand, to the Chinese Embassy in Manila on Dec 15.
The embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Mr Teodoro’s remarks.
Sabina Shoal, which China refers to as Xianbin Reef and the Philippines as the Escoda Shoal, lies in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone 150km west of Palawan province.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a waterway supporting more than US$3 trillion (S$3.9 trillion) of annual commerce.
The areas Beijing claims cut into the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
An international arbitral tribunal ruled in 2016 that Beijing’s sweeping claims had no basis
