Philippines denounces China for ‘unprovoked acts of coercion’ to block resupply mission

MANILA/BEIJING – The Philippines on Friday condemned China’s coast guard for “unprovoked acts of coercion and dangerous manoeuvres”, including its use of a water cannon against one of its boats, in a bid to disrupt a resupply mission in the South China Sea. 

China’s actions, the Philippines said, not only “put the lives of our people at risk” but also “put into question and significant doubt the sincerity of its calls for peaceful dialogue”.

The regular resupply missions support the Philippine troops stationed in an intentionally grounded dilapidated warship on Second Thomas Shoal, a hotly disputed atoll in the South China Sea that Manila calls Ayungin and is known as Renai Reef in China.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, which includes Second Thomas Shoal, and has deployed hundreds of vessels to patrol there, including what Manila refers to as “Chinese maritime militia”, which it said were involved in the latest attempt to obstruct the resupply mission. 

The Chinese Foreign Ministry opposes actions that undermine China’s sovereignty and interests and has lodged solemn representations with the Philippine embassy, its spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Friday at a regular press conference.

China’s coast guard on Friday said two small Philippine transport ships and three coast guard ships entered the waters without the permission of the Chinese government, and urged the Philippines to stop infringing on Beijing’s sovereignty.

It said in a statement that its actions were lawful, and that it has made temporary special arrangements for the Philippine side to transport food and other necessary daily necessities.

Manila said the resupply mission was completed, even as its boats were “subjected to extremely reckless and dangerous harassment at close proximity” by the Chinese coast guard’s inflatable boats inside the shoal. 

For years, Manila and Beijing have been embroiled in

on-off confrontations at Second Thomas Shoal

as China has become more assertive in pressing its maritime claims, alarming rival claimants and other states operating in the South China Sea, including the United States and Japan.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said during his visit to Manila last Saturday that his country, the Philippines and the US were cooperating to protect the freedom of the South China Sea.

Both Tokyo and Washington have thrown their support behind a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that said Beijing’s expansive claims had no legal basis, delivering a historic legal victory for the Philippines. Under the ruling, the shoal is inside the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

China’s use of water cannon followed a series of incidents in the South China Sea, including the collisions between China’s vessels and two Manila ships on Oct 22.

The Philippines accused China’s coast guard of “intentionally” colliding with its vessels. REUTERS