The Philippines on Jan 13 called on Beijing to desist from “escalatory actions” at a South China Sea shoal, and said a protest has been lodged over the presence of the Chinese coast guard, militia and navy in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
The protest stems from the presence of two coast guard vessels on Jan 5 and 10 in and around the disputed Scarborough Shoal, one of which was a 165m-long boat referred to by the Philippines as “the monster”.
It said a Chinese navy helicopter was also deployed in the area.
“The escalatory actions of these Chinese vessels and aircraft disregard Philippine and international laws,” said the Philippines’ National Maritime Council, an inter-agency group tasked with upholding the country’s interests at sea.
“China should direct its vessels to desist from conducting illegal actions that violate the Philippines’ sovereign rights in its EEZ,” it said in a statement.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a news conference that the country’s coast guard “patrol and law enforcement activities” were “reasonable, lawful and beyond reproach”.
“China urges the Philippine side to cease its malicious hype,” Mr Guo said.
China says Scarborough Shoal is its territory and has accused the Philippines of trespassing.
Tensions between China and the Philippines, a US ally, have escalated in the past two years, with frequent run-ins between their coast guards in the South China Sea, which China claims sovereignty over almost in its entirety.
The statement came just hours after Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr had a virtual call with US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, where the three leaders discussed China’s conduct in the South China Sea.
Mr Marcos’ communications office said the leaders agreed to enhance and deepen economic, maritime and technology cooperation.
The call followed a first-of-its-kind summit meeting between Mr Marcos, Mr Biden and then Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Washington in April 2024 to uphold international law and regional stability.
Mr Biden, who will step down on Jan 20, was quoted as saying in Manila’s read-out of the call that he is “optimistic” that his successor, President-elect Donald Trump, will see the value of continuing the partnership.
“Simply put, our countries have an interest in continuing this partnership and institutionalising our cooperation across our governments so that it is built to last,” Mr Biden said.
Mr Marcos said he is confident that the three countries will sustain the gains in deepening their diplomatic ties.
The White House said in a statement that the three leaders discussed China’s “dangerous and unlawful behaviour in the South China Sea” and agreed on the importance of continued coordination in the Indo-Pacific region.
Japan’s Foreign Ministry separately said in a statement that the three leaders have opposed “unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force” in the East and South China seas, without mentioning Beijing.
Japan and the Philippines – bound by bilateral defence treaties with the US – are both involved in separate territorial disputes with China in the East China Sea and South China Sea, respectively.
Mr Marcos’ office said Mr Biden also commended the Philippine leader for his diplomatic response “to China’s aggressive and coercive activities in the South China Sea”.
The Philippines in 2024 ratified a military agreement with Japan that will ease the entry of soldiers into each other’s country for joint military exercises.
The three countries’ coast guards also staged joint exercises in 2023.
China’s expansive claims overlap with the EEZs of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
The disputed waterway is a strategic shipping route through which about US$3 trillion (S$4.1 trillion) of annual commerce moves.
A 2016 ruling of an international arbitral tribunal said Beijing’s claims, based on its historic maps, have no basis under international law, a decision China does not recognise.
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