The Philippines has warned Beijing that it will experience a deluge of diplomatic protests if Chinese vessels are believed to be part of a ‘maritime civilian force’, not leaving the disputed South China Sea territories, which will increase the rift between the two nations.
“For every day of delay, the Republic of the Philippines will file a diplomatic protest,” the State Department said in a statement. statement Monday. It also reiterated its call on Chinese vessels to withdraw immediately from the Whitsun Reef, which he said is part of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
The presence of Chinese vessels near the reef shows that Beijing’s intention is to occupy more controversial areas, Philippine Defense Minister Delfin Lorenzana said in a statement on Sunday.
China has done this “before” in other controversial areas such as Scarborough Shoal and “violates Philippine sovereignty,” Lorenzana said. He was responding to a statement from the Chinese embassy in Manila, describing water around the Whitsun Reef on Saturday – where hundreds of Chinese vessels were. noted early last month – as ‘traditional fishing grounds’ and ‘as part of China’s Nansha Islands’.
The embassy statement “contained blatant lies”, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said, referring to its 2016 international arbitration victory against Beijing. The agency also reminded Chinese embassy officials that they are guests who must respect Filipino officials.
Philippines says China’s ‘militia’ spreads to other disputed reefs
The remarks of the departments of defense and foreign affairs indicate a stricter attitude of the government of the Philippines initially addressed a formal diplomatic protest to China, saying the ships had come up concerns about overfishing and safety of navigation. In a separate statement, Lorenzana also refuted China’s previous reaction that the vessels were sheltering from the wind, saying the weather in the area was good.
Philippine Foreign Minister Teodoro Locsin said separately on Sunday that he was considering a demarche after the Chinese embassy claimed that Whitsun Reef was part of China’s territory. He also said on Twitter that “swarming achieves nothing.”
The Philippines has built friendly ties with China over the past few years under President Rodrigo Duterte maintained its alliance with the US, the Biden government held at the end of March expressed concern about the presence of Chinese fishing vessels near the disputed reef, saying Beijing uses “maritime civilian power to intimidate, provoke and threaten other nations.”
– Assisted by Ditas B Lopez
(Review clues and updates with the statement from the Department of Foreign Affairs)