2-11-2023 (MANILA) The Philippine foreign ministry has accused China of encroaching into its waters following an incident involving military vessels from both nations at a disputed shoal in the South China Sea earlier this week.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) stated that the Chinese military’s claim that a Philippine military ship had “illegally entered” waters near the Scarborough Shoal “has no legal basis and only serves to raise tensions” in the contested region.
“It is China that is intruding into Philippine waters,” declared the foreign ministry in a statement.
The Philippines and China both assert sovereignty over the Scarborough Shoal, although it has never been definitively established, and it has remained under Beijing’s effective control since its seizure from Manila in 2012.
The DFA insists that the shoal, referred to as “Bajo de Masinloc,” falls within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, granting the country sovereign rights and jurisdiction over it.
“The Philippines has consistently demanded that Chinese vessels in Bajo de Masinloc leave the area immediately,” the foreign ministry stated.
The shoal, situated 200 km (124 miles) off the Philippines, was part of an arbitration claim filed by Manila at an international tribunal. In 2016, the court ruled that Beijing’s claim to 90% of the South China Sea had no basis under international law, but China has refused to acknowledge the decision.
The Philippine presidential office has announced that South China Sea issues will be discussed during the bilateral talks between Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and President Ferdinand Marcos on Friday. Kishida is set to visit Manila on Friday for a two-day trip.
Prior to the visit, the Japan defence ministry also disclosed the delivery of the first air surveillance radar system to the Philippine military as part of a 2020 contract between the Philippines’ defence department and Mitsubishi Electric Corp.
