By ZHANG YUNBI and ZHAO YANRONG
CHINA DAILY
CHINA DAILY
(File Photo)
Beijing condemned the Philippines on Thursday over a Filipino warship grounded on a Chinese reef in the South China Sea.
It described the illegal grounding of the vessel on the Ren’ai Reef as a “serious encroachment of territorial sovereignty”, and warned Manila not to stir up the situation in the South China Sea any further.
Observers said Beijing acted in response to an attempt by the Philippines to assert territorial claims by keeping the warship stranded on the reef since 1999.
“China’s resolution and will to safeguard its territorial sovereignty is unswerving,” Geng Yansheng, spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, said at a press conference.
An allegation by the Philippines that Chinese vessels have threatened to cut off supplies of water and food to Philippine military staff at the reef is groundless, Geng said.
“Chinese naval patrols in the area are justifiable,” he added.
After the warship was grounded on the reef, Beijing repeatedly asked Manila to retrieve it, but the Philippines ignored the request despite having promised to tow the ship away.
Li Guoqiang, deputy director of the Center for Chinese Borderland History and Geography at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said, “The Philippine’s logic is ludicrous in calling its grounded ship a symbol of occupation while it is in China’s inherent territory.”
China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands, which include Ren’ai Reef and adjacent waters.
Manila has highlighted the situation on the reef at a time of heightened tension between the two countries. Last April, troops on a Philippine warship harassed Chinese fishermen in waters off China’s Huangyan Island.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said on Thursday that Beijing has never tolerated Manila’s illegal attempt to seize the reef and Chinese government vessels are entitled to patrol there.
He was speaking in response to a recent claim by the Philippines that Chinese ships pose a threat to the security of the Nansha Islands.
Hong said China also urged relevant countries to fully and sincerely implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, to refrain from actions that could aggravate or complicate the issue, and avoid any action that could undermine peace and stability in the region.
Yang Baoyun, a Southeast Asian studies expert at Peking University, said Manila is again acting like a victim but is actually provoking Beijing to gain international sympathy and show off its “influence” in the South China Sea.
“The Philippines also plans to play up the reef topic at the Shangri-La Dialogue, starting on Friday in Singapore, to win more support from major powers such as the United States. They did the same thing last year regarding the Huangyan Island,” Yang said.
Li said that meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to be held later this year will be used by Manila as a platform for spreading the argument on the South China Sea issue.
China also rejected a report by the US Defense Science Board, which said Chinese hackers have gained access to the designs of two dozen US weapons systems.
The Ministry of National Defense said the accusation is a misjudgment that underestimates the Pentagon’s security capability as well as Chinese people’s wisdom.
Li Hong, secretary-general of the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association, said: “The accusation could be an excuse for the Pentagon to increase its military expenditure. And the cybersecurity issue, which has been exaggerated by the US media immediately before President Xi Jinping meets US President Barack Obama early next month, can become a bargaining chip for the US during the meeting.”
- – - – - – - – - – - - – - -
RELATED STORY:
Gazmin refutes China on sea row
By Alexis Romero
The Philippine Star
Gazmin
The Philippine Star
Gazmin
Gazmin
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines has been complying with the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and it is China that has been violating it, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin maintained yesterday.
“We’ve been adhering to the (declaration). We’ve been following the DOC. We did not violate anything,” Gazmin told reporters.
When asked if China is adhering to the declaration, Gazmin replied no.
“They don’t. That’s why we have filed successive protests,” he said.
Gazmin was asked to react to reports quoting Chinese officials as saying that claimants in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) row should honor the DOC.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei has been quoted by state-run news agency Xinhua as saying that relevant countries should “fully and earnestly implement” the DOC.
Hong also called on the countries to “refrain from actions that could amplify or complicate the issue, and avoid any action that could undermine peace and stability in the region.”
Despite China’s violations of the DOC, the Philippines will continue to strive to deescalate tensions in the West Philippine Sea.
“We have to avoid escalating the problem since we have already filed cases (before the international tribunal) to avoid jeopardizing legal proceedings,” Gazmin said.
Vice President Jejomar Binay said the Philippine government must fight until the last man to retain Ayungin Shoal.
He said the government is trying to preempt a bloody solution to the issue on the Ayungin Shoal, which is now being targeted by China.
“We are preempting because remember we had further case for arbitration. That is a peaceful solution,” Binay said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said China has no right to dictate to the Philippines what it can do within its own maritime domain.
DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez said the rotation of personnel and their provisioning by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is a sovereign and humanitarian duty.
Hernandez responded to questions about the informal talk between Gazmin and Chinese Ambassador Ma Keqing on Chinese concerns over the Philippines putting of more structures in Ayungin Shoal.
“The Philippines exercises jurisdiction and sovereign rights over its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and continental shelf in the West Philippine Sea and has all the right to undertake lawful activities within its maritime domain without any interference or objection by any other state,” Hernandez said.
He maintained Ayungin Shoal is an integral part of the Philippine national territory.
“China is not in a position to dictate on what the Philippines can do within its maritime domain,” Hernandez said.
The DFA urged China to withdraw and leave the Philippine EEZ and continental shelf.
“As President (Aquino) said, we will defend what is ours. China has no right to be there. China has no right to dictate to us what we can do in our maritime domain,” Hernandez said. – Pia Lee Brago, Jaime Laude
No comments:
Post a Comment