AFP: US warship did not trespass into Chinese waters

October 22 ------ THE Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) rejected China’s claim that USS Charleston of the United States Navy trespassed into Chinese territory, saying its passage was lawful under international law.

​AFP spokesman for the West Philippine Sea Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad said the American ship’s passage was consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos). ”USS Charleston did not trespass into ‘Chinese territory,’” Trinidad said, emphasizing that all nations enjoy freedom of navigation and overflight on the high seas and in exclusive economic zones. ​”No single nation has the authority to require prior permission for lawful transit through international waters,” he said.

​The AFP issued the statement in response to remarks by the People’s Liberation Army on the USS Charleston’s passage through the South China Sea. ​The Philippine military also refuted Beijing’s claim of “indisputable sovereignty” over the Spratly Islands and their adjacent waters, citing the 2016 arbitral ruling that rejected China’s expansive claims over the South China Sea.

​China is pushing its claim for roughly 90 percent of the South China Sea using a U-shaped boundary through the fictitious nine-dash line (sometimes expanded to a 10-dash line), asserting sweeping “historic rights” over the waters and island groups inside the perimeter. ​”Rather than calling for lawful operations to cease, it is their illegal presence, coercive and aggressive actions, and deceptive messaging that should stop,” Trinidad said.

The 2016 arbitral tribunal ruling in the Philippines’ case against China rejected the legal basis of Beijing’s claims to historic rights within its nine-dash line. China has refused to recognize the ruling. ​The AFP said it is committed to protecting Philippine sovereignty and maritime jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea, while supporting peaceful and lawful maritime access for all nations under the Unclos.

Source: manilatimes.net