After another incident near a South China Sea flashpoint, the Philippines accused China’s coast guard of harassment, obstruction, and “dangerous manoeuvres” against its warships on Wednesday.
“Constantly followed, harassed, and obstructed by the significantly larger Chinese coast guard vessels” on June 30, Philippine coast guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela tweeted.
It occurred near the Second Thomas Shoal, a submerged rock over which the Philippines claims sovereignty via a few troops living onboard a decrepit World War Two-era American ship that was purposefully grounded in 1999.
China’s embassy in Manila did not respond to a request for comment, and the foreign ministry in Beijing did not discuss the topic at a Wednesday briefing.
Tarriela advised slowing down to avoid an accident.
The naval action was unspecified. In February, the Philippine military accused China of aggression and aiming a “military-grade laser” at one of its vessels while resupplying troops on the Sierra Madre.
The Philippines’ 200-mile EEZ contains the shoal. Tarriela called the arrival of Chinese navy ships “alarming” and “greater concerns.”
China claims its coast guard often operates in its waters.
A “nine-dash line” on Chinese maps cuts into the exclusive economic zones of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia, claiming control over practically the whole South China Sea.
In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled the line violates international law.
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