PH calls out China for 'destabilizing' peace in West Philippine Sea
MANILA, Philippines (Updated 4:40 p.m.) — The Department of Foreign Affairs called out China for “destabilizing the peace and security” in the West Philippine Sea after Chinese coast guards pointed a laser light against a Philippine Coast Guard vessel in Ayungin Shoal.
In an interview aired at Laging Handa on Friday, foreign affairs spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza urged Beijing to desist from committing actions that would threaten the peace and stability in the region after President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. expressed concern over China’s repetitive activities in the West Philippine Sea.
“No less than the President has called attention … about the increasing frequency and intensity of actions that are happening in the West Philippine Sea. This is why we’re calling on China to desist and restrain from this action because this is not only damaging (and) dangerous, it’s also destabilizing in terms of the peace and stability in the region,” Daza said in Filipino.
The statement was made after the Philippines refuted Beijing’s accusation that PCG members lied about their account of experiencing temporary blindness from the laser-pointing incident, which Daza said they have “no reason to doubt.”
READ: After fresh incident with China Coast Guard, DFA asserts Ayungin part of Philippines
Daza added: “We stand by the report of the PCG on this, and we call on China that while we want to engage with China, the engagement should be based on facts and based on goodwill.”
Diplomatic protest already filed
The spokesperson also scored China over “the lack of congruence between what is actually being said, what is being announced, and what is happening on the ground (and in) the seas.”
This comes after China alleged on Wednesday that its use of a military-grade laser at a PCG vessel was for "navigation safety.”
“We can cite the provisions in the (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) that have been violated with this incident. This is not in keeping with navigational rules on safety, not to mention the basic rules of professional seamanship,” Daza said.
“It’s important to know that this is not legal. This is not restrained. This is not professional,” Daza added.
The DFA has filed a diplomatic protest over the latest aggressions of the Chinese Coast Guard in the West Philippine Sea.
DFA has also been regularly filing diplomatic protests over “illegal actions” committed by China, Daza said. In 2023 alone, the Philippines has already filed nine protests against actions committed by China that it deemed “violative of international law.”
“Because to us, it’s important that we are vigilant through diplomatic action, be able to say this should not continue, this is violative of international law, and we should do all actions to not escalate tensions within our waters,” Daza added.
Ayungin Shoal is located within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines. It is also 105 nautical miles from West Palawan and around 694 nautical miles from China.
Chinese ambassador blames lack of communication
Huang Xilian, Chinese ambassador to the Philippines, meanwhile maintained that both countries had "different accounts" and a “different understanding” of what transpired in Ayungin shoal.
In a press briefing on Friday, Huang said that the laser-pointing incident stemmed from a “lack of communication” between China and the Philippines, and that both countries should "manage (its) differences" to prevent future incidents.
“Lack of communication leads to misunderstanding. And misunderstanding leads to misjudgment. And this sometimes causes some kind of friction,” Huang added.
Stressing the need for both countries to "(work) together to prevent such instance from happening again," Huang said that both sides have to "exercise restraint" and "refrain from taking any unilateral and provocative action."
“I believe that in the future we can manage it in a better way. I believe that both sides have shown this kind of good intention,” Huang said.
Huang added that he and Marcos had a "fruitful" discussion this week about the incident but did not provide specific details on how China will supposedly exercise restraint in the disputed waters. — Cristina Chi
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