US, UK call out China's 'dangerous' actions vs Philippine vessels

MANILA, Philippines — The United States and the United Kingdom have voiced concerns over China's "dangerous and destabilizing" conduct towards Philippine ships in the South China Sea, with the two countries' top diplomats urging Beijing to comply with a rules-based maritime order.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy stressed the importance of respecting the law of the sea as outlined in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, according to a joint statement after the two met in London for a strategic dialogue from September 10 to 11.

This comes after China sharply ratcheted up its aggression toward Philippine vessels near Escoda Shoal in the West Philippine Sea in August by repeatedly ramming a lone Philippine Coast Guard vessel deployed to the feature. 

"The United States and United Kingdom affirmed the importance of close coordination to advance shared objectives and common values and interests with respect to the Indo-Pacific," the joint statement read. 

"On China, the two sides confirmed our shared commitment to upholding international law and the rules based international system," it added.

The US consistently backs the Philippines over its maritime incidents with China and has explicitly reminded Beijing that it is required to defend its longest treaty ally in the region during armed attacks.

Despite holding talks last week on their maritime dispute, Beijing and Manila remain in a deadlock as both sides refuse to budge on their territorial claims. China continues to press its claims to almost the entire South China Sea in defiance of a 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated its so-called nine-dash line. 

Meanwhile, Manila on Sunday, September 15, recalled BRP Teresa Magbanua back to port after Chinese vessels' routine attempts to block the delivery of supplies there left the crew dehydrated and the ship damaged. 

The vessel has been anchored at Escoda Shoal since April amid China's reclamation activities in the area.

The National Maritime Council said the government intends to replace the vessel with another ship. The move is expected to anger Beijing, which insists it has sovereign rights over the feature and calls BRP Teresa Magbanua's presence "illegal."

Eyes on Taiwan Strait

Blinken and Lammy also declared peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait as crucial to global security and urgently called for a peaceful resolution to cross-Strait tensions.

On September 14, Beijing condemned Germany for sending two of its warships through the Taiwan Strait, an important navigational waterway separating Taiwan from the Chinese mainland.

Germany's Baden-Württemberg frigate and a support vessel sailed through the strait on September 13 — the first time Berlin's warships have plied the waters there in 22 years.

The US and other countries often conduct “freedom of navigation” operations in the Taiwan Strait to assert that it is international waters.