Since April, Beijing and Manila have been embroiled in a standoff over fishing grounds near South China Sea reefs claimed by both sides.
Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. has used obscene language to berate Beijing for declining to withdraw its ships from the Scarborough Shoal, also known as Bajo de Masinloc.
The area is a ring-shaped coral reef located in what the Philippines sees as its exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea.
The top Philippine diplomat also referred to a UN arbitration against Beijing’s territorial claim on the “nine-dash line” covering most of the South China Sea, initiated by the Philippines in 2013.
Beijing refused to acknowledge the tribunal’s decision and refused to withdraw its forces from the area after the final ruling in 2016 stated that China had no historic rights to claim the “nine-dash line”.
The DFA urged China to withdraw its government vessels from Bajo de Masinloc and “respect Philippine sovereignty”. Beijing has not commented on Locsin’s remarks yet.
Some of the about 220 Chinese vessels reported by the Philippine Coast Guard, and believed to be manned by Chinese maritime militia personnel, are pictured at Whitsun Reef, South China Sea, March 7, 2021. Picture taken March 7, 2021.
The developments came after the Philippines last month spotted unknown structures installed on a series of reefs in the South China Sea, where a spate of Chinese fishing vessels, allegedly manned by militias, was earlier tracked by Manila. The Philippine military said the structures were tracked during maritime patrols near the Whitsun Reef, stressing that the installation of the said structures runs counter to international law.
While Manila lodged a diplomatic protest over the issue and demanded these vessels leave the area, Beijing rejected the Philippines’ allegations, claiming that China has no maritime “militia” abroad.
In this photo provided by U.S. Navy, USS Nimitz (CVN 68) steams alongside the Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76, not in photo) in the South China Sea, Monday, July 6, 2020.
The White House later stated that the US and the Philippines had voiced concern over the alleged presence of Chinese maritime “militia” vessels near the disputed Whitsun Reef, reaffirming that Washington considers the US-Philippines Mutual Defence Treaty applicable in the South China Sea.
The Whitsun Reef is part of the sea’s Spratly archipelago, claimed by Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
The US is also actively engaged in the South China Sea-related dispute although Washington has no claims to the area. The US Navy repeatedly sends its ships to the South China Sea to fulfill “freedom of navigation” missions, causing harsh criticism from Beijing.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
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