China hit for water cannon attacks

US, Japan, Australia, EU join PH in denouncing ‘illegal, dangerous’ acts

The United States, Japan, Australia, and the European Union on Sunday denounced China’s use of water cannons to disrupt resupply efforts by the Philippine vessels near Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.

In a statement, the US State Department said China Coast Guard’s firing of water cannon and employing unsafe blocking maneuvers against Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessels on Saturday, Aug. 5, “interfered with the Philippines’ lawful exercise of high seas freedom of navigation and jeopardized the safety of the Philippine vessels and crew.”

“Such actions by the PRC are inconsistent with international law and are the latest in repeated threats to the status quo in the South China Sea, directly threatening regional peace and stability. By impeding necessary provisions from reaching the Filipino service members stationed at Second Thomas (Ayungin) Shoal, the PRC has also undertaken unwarranted interference in lawful Philippine maritime operations,” the US said.

On Sunday, the PCG on condemned CCG’s “dangerous maneuvers and illegal use of water cannon” against their vessels escorting the indigenous boats chartered by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to deliver food, water, fuel, and other supplies to troops stationed on BRP Sierra Madre in the Ayungin Shoal.

The military also condemned the actions and expressed concern about the incident, which it called “excessive and offensive.”

Australia joined the US in expressing deep concern over China’s aggressive action against Philippine resupply vessels en route to Ayungin Shoal.

Australian Ambassador H.K. Yu called the acts directed against the Philippines “dangerous and destabilizing.”

“We reiterate our call for peace, stability, and respect for UNCLOS in the South China Sea–a vital international waterway,” Yu posted on her Twitter account on Sunday.

Japan and the European Union also warned that China’s recent actions in the West Philippine Sea raised concerns in the international community due to its “destabilizing” effects on navigational safety.

Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Kazuhiko Koshikawa said: “Totally unacceptable: any harassment and actions which infringe on lawful activities of the sea and endanger the navigational safety. We strongly support PH’s position; upholding maritime order based on UNCLOS & 2016 Arbitral Award.”

EU Ambassador to the Philippines Luc Veron added: “Very concerned about dangerous action in the South China Sea. EU stands with the Philippines in upholding the rules-based international order.”

“The EU supports the legally binding nature of the 2016 South China Sea arbitration,” he added.

UNCLOS stands for the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which extends the territorial jurisdiction of maritime states up to 200 nautical miles from its coasts. It is signed by at least 162 nations, including the Philippines and China.

China, however, said on Sunday it had taken “necessary controls” against Philippines boats that had “illegally” entered its waters.

“Two repair ships and two coast guard ships from the Philippines illegally broke into the waters… in China’s Nansha Islands,” China Coast Guard spokesperson Gan Yu said, adding that Beijing had “implemented necessary controls in accordance with the law and stopped Philippine ships carrying illegal building materials.”

Ayungin Shoal is part of the Kalayaan Island Group, which is an integral part of the Philippines, well within the country’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, over which the Philippines has sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction.

Citing the 2016 arbitral ruling by the United Nations-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration, the US stressed that China “has no lawful claim to the maritime area around Second Thomas Shoal, which is located well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.”

“The United States reiterates, pursuant to the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention, the arbitral decision is final and legally binding on the PRC and the Philippines. The United States calls upon the PRC to abide by the arbitral ruling as well as to respect the freedom of navigation – a right to which all states are entitled,” it added.

Washington also reiterated its position that an armed attack on Philippine public vessels, aircraft, and armed forces would invoke mutual defense commitments under Article IV of the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty of the Philippines and US.

The Philippine government sued China before an international arbitral tribunal in The Hague in 2013 which ruled in favor of the Philippines in July 2016 when it junked China’s nine-dash claim over the South China Sea.

But China continues to defy the 2016 arbitration ruling, calling the decision “illegal and invalid.”

The Marcos administration is expected to file its 98th diplomatic protest following China’s latest actions in the WPS.

On July 6, the Department of Foreign Affairs said the Philippines under President Marcos has filed 67 notes verbale in 2022 and 30 diplomatic notes in 2023.

DFA spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza said 260 protests were filed from 2016 to 2021. A total of 202 notes verbale were lodged in 2021, and 195 in 2022.

The notes verbale, she said, referred to protests against the illegal presence and actions of Chinese vessels in Philippine waters.

Beijing claims most of the South China Sea and continues to refuse to honor the arbitral tribunal decision that invalidated its claims to ill-defined historic rights throughout the nine-dash line.

During a security conference in Munich, Germany in February, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said the Philippines faces daily incidents of harassment and land reclamation in the West Philippine Sea, which in many cases have been depriving the Philippines of the use of its exclusive economic zone.

Last month, the PCG reported that BRP Malabrigo and BRP Malapascua were assisting the naval operation of the AFP late last month when two CCG vessels “came close” to their patrol boats.

During the operation, the PCG was constantly followed, harassed, and obstructed by the significantly larger Chinese vessels at a distance of about 100 yards.

“These Chinese Coast Guard vessels blatantly disregard the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea in their attempts to obstruct passage and discourage the PCG vessels from approaching Ayungin Shoal,” the PCG said. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

The AFP said that the Chinese vessel which was identified in a photo released by the PCG as CCG ship with a bow number 4203 or a Zhaojun class cutter fired its water cannon at one of the chartered supply boats of the AFP and making a “very dangerous” maneuver also to towards Philippine ships on a resupply mission.

The AFP said that the resupply mission was cancelled due to the actions of the Chinese vessel towards Philippine ships conducting safe passage and humanitarian aid to Filipino troops in need of fresh supplies for their duties.

“Because of the CCG’s dangerous maneuvers, the second supply boat was not able to unload the supplies and could not complete the mission. We call on the China Coast Guard and the Central Military Commission to act with prudence and be responsible in their actions to prevent miscalculations and accidents that will endanger peoples’ lives,” it said.

In other developments:

* Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said the most recent incident in the WPS was yet again a manifestation of China’s “might versus right” treatment of its peaceful neighbors. By its actions, it shows diplomatic duplicity, of preaching about amity, but practicing hostile behavior.

* Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III on Sunday said this is not the first time China used “excessive and offensive” actions towards Philippine vessels en route to Ayungin Shoal for a routine troop rotation and resupply mission. After the laser-pointing incident last February, Pimentel said they now used water cannons. Senate Minority Deputy Leader Senator Risa Hontiveros condemned the Chinese actions, pointing out the Chinese Coast Guard has no right to block and water cannon Philippine vessels operating in Philippine territory.

* ACT Teachers party- list Rep. France Castro lamented that China continues to harass and bully Philippine ships in the West Philippine Sea—something that President Marcos failed to mention in this State of the Nation Address.

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