MANILA, Philippines — The United States criticized China’s use of a laser device against a Philippine Coast Guard vessel on a resupply mission last week, calling the conduct “provocative and unsafe.”
In a statement on Monday, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Washington “stands with our Philippine allies” after Manila accused Beijing’s Coast Guard of blocking and aiming a military-grade laser at BRP Malapascua on February 6.
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“The PRC’s conduct was provocative and unsafe, resulting in the temporary blindness of the crewmembers of the BRP Malapascua and interfering with the Philippines’ lawful operations in and around Second Thomas Shoal,” Price said.
“More broadly, the PRC’s dangerous operational behavior directly threatens regional peace and stability, infringes upon freedom of navigation in the South China Sea as guaranteed under international law, and undermines the rules-based international order,” he added.
The State Department official stressed that China has no lawful maritime claims to Second Thomas Shoal — or Ayungin Shoal — as held in the 2016 landmark arbitration ruling that invalidated Beijing’s expansive claims over a large part of the South China Sea. China, however, does not recognize this decision.
Price reiterated that an “armed attack on Philippine armed forces, public vessels or aircraft, including those of the Coast Guard in the South China Sea” would involve US mutual defense commitments.
China on Monday pinned the blame on Manila for supposedly intruding Ayungin Shoal — or what it calls Ren’ai Reef. Ayungin Shoal is part of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.
“We hope the Philippine side will respect China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea and avoid taking any actions that may exacerbate disputes and complicate the situation,” Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Wenbin said. — with reports from Kaycee Valmonte