The Philippines condemned “in the strongest terms” the actions of three Chinese Coast Guard ships that fired and used water cannons on Manila provide boats en path to a Philippine-occupied atoll within the South China Sea, its prime diplomat mentioned. mentioned on Thursday.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Loxin mentioned nobody was damage throughout the incident at Second Thomas Shoal on 16 November, however the Philippines’ boats, which had been carrying meals provides to navy personnel stationed there, needed to halt their mission.
“The actions of the Chinese Coast Guard are illegal,” Lokin mentioned in an announcement, reminding China {that a} public vessel is roofed by the Philippines-United States Mutual Defense Treaty. Loxin mentioned he had conveyed “our displeasure, condemnation and opposition to the incident” to the Chinese ambassador in Manila “in the strongest terms”.
Loxin warned that Beijing’s “failure to exercise self-restraint threatens the special relationship between the two countries”.
“China has no law enforcement authority in and around these areas. They should heed and back down,” Loxin mentioned. Manila honors the second Thomas Shoal, which is positioned 105 nautical miles (195 km) southwest of the Philippine Territory of Palawan, inside its 200-nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone. It has occupied the shoal since 1999, after deliberately crashing a Navy ship onto the reef.
China, which claims virtually the entire South China Sea, says the reef is a part of its territory, however a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Arbitration Court in The Hague discovered the Philippines in favor.
The Chinese embassy in Manila didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark from the media.
China claims sovereignty over huge areas of the South China Sea, however Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have additionally filed competing claims for some or the entire islands.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
