In the South China Sea, the Philippines has accused Chinese Coast Guard vessels of firing water cannons and engaging in “dangerous manoeuvres” against its ships.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) issued a statement Saturday that was posted on its official Facebook account. “The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) strongly condemns the China Coast Guard’s (CCG) dangerous manoeuvres and illegal use of water cannons against PCG vessels,” the statement read.
Ships bringing supplies to military personnel stationed on Ayungin Shoal, also known as Second Thomas Shoal, in the Spratly Islands chain, also called in China as the Nansha Islands, were being escorted by PCG vessels.
The shoal’s Chinese name is Renai Reef.
China accused the Philippines Coast Guard (PCG) of trespassing in its seas in a response released on Sunday.
According to a statement on the China Coast Guard’s website, “Two Filipino supply vessels and two coast guard vessels illegally intruded into the waters adjacent to Renai Reef in China’s Nansha Islands.”
The Chinese coast Guard carried out the required checks in accordance with the law and stopped the Philippine vessels from transporting illicit building materials. According to the statement, Gan Yu urged the Philippine side to immediately stop its infringement operations in that maritime area.
Chinese territorial claims to the islands and the South China Sea were reaffirmed by Gan Yu, who also vowed that the country will continue to enforce the law there.
While this was going on, the US State Department declared its support for the Philippines and urged China to respect freedom of navigation. In a statement released on Saturday, it said that “(China) has no legitimate claim to the maritime area surrounding Second Thomas Shoal.”
Tension between Manila and Beijing has always been centred on the South China Sea.
Beijing asserts “indisputable sovereignty” over the majority of the islands and nearly the whole 1.3 million square mile South China Sea. Included in this are the Spratlys, an archipelago of 100 tiny islands and reefs that are also fully or partially claimed by the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan.
However, Manila refers to the region as the West Philippine Sea. It purposefully grounded the BRP Sierra Madre, a navy transport ship manned by Filipino troops, on Second Thomas Shoal in 1999 to bolster its territorial claims.
Filipino fishermen nearby have allegedly been harassed by Chinese warships, according to Philippine maritime authorities.
When Manila expressed “great concern” about the presence of Chinese vessels in the disputed waterway in December, relations became tense.
After meeting a month later, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. decided to boost their bilateral economic relations and pick up their oil exploration negotiations despite tensions over disputed waterways.