MANILA, Philippines — Countries in Southeast Asia must unite against China’s aggression in the South China Sea following reports of an assault on Vietnamese fishermen by Chinese maritime forces, according to Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela.
“Silence only condones China’s behavior, allowing the China Coast Guard (CCG) to continue their unlawful activities with impunity,” Tarriela said.
“China’s barbaric, aggressive and unlawful actions not only threaten our respective exclusive economic zones, but also challenge the international rules-based order, putting it at risk,” he added.
Vietnam earlier accused “Chinese law enforcement forces” of beating 10 fishermen with iron bars and robbing them of their fish and equipment off the Paracel Islands last Sept. 29.
The incident is an “unjustified assault, an alarming act with no place in international relations,” said National Security Adviser Eduardo Año.
A video posted on X, formerly Twitter, showed the latest incident between China and Vietnam, wherein Chinese uniformed personnel aboard inflatable boats climbed up a Vietnamese fishing vessel. A CCG patrol vessel blocked the fishing boat.
The Vietnamese fishermen tried to repel the Chinese forces using bamboo poles.
“(This incident) demonstrates that Vietnamese fishermen are fed up with China’s bullying tactics and have decided to take a stand,” Tarriela said. “China is willing to attack even innocent civilian entities.”
In August, CCG vessels rammed and fired water cannons at the BRP Datu Sanday near Escoda Shoal.
In June, a Filipino sailor lost his thumb after a CCG vessel rammed a Philippine vessel near Ayungin Shoal.
In a landmark ruling on July 12, 2016 in favor of the Philippines, the Permanent Court of Arbitration found no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to a “nine-dash line” in the South China Sea. The 2016 arbitral award is legally binding, even though China refuses to accept it.