Protecting Filipino fishermen not an act of escalation, PH tells China

MANILA, January 13 ------ The Philippines rejected China’s claim that Manila is staging provocations in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), saying that protecting Filipino fishermen within the country’s maritime zones is part of its lawful duty and not an act of escalation.

In a statement, the National Maritime Council (NMC) said tensions in the WPS stem from China’s “persistent illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive (ICAD) activities” in areas that fall within the Philippines’ maritime zones as provided by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and affirmed by the 2016 Arbitral Award. “China’s claim that the Philippines ‘stages provocations’ by deploying government vessels or allowing Filipino fisherfolk to operate in these waters is preposterous and completely false,” the NMC said. “Filipino fishers are civilians lawfully pursuing their livelihoods within the Philippines’ maritime zones. Protecting them is a responsibility of the State, not an act of escalation.”

The council stressed that Philippine operations in the WPS are conducted solely to ensure maritime safety, provide humanitarian assistance and enforce the law, adding that these actions are “legitimate, lawful and consistent with international law, particularly UNCLOS and the 2016 Arbitral Award.”

The Philippines has long disputed China’s sweeping claim over almost the entire South China Sea through its so-called nine-dash line, which overlaps with the country’s exclusive economic zone. In 2016, an arbitral tribunal in The Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines, declaring China’s nine-dash line claim invalid and finding that Beijing violated Manila’s sovereign rights by interfering with fishing and other activities within the Philippine EEZ. China, however, has refused to recognize the ruling.

The NMC said Chinese vessels and aircraft have continued to engage in ICAD, or illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive activities, in the WPS, including “dangerous maneuvers, blocking, ramming, intimidation, the use or firing of water cannons against Philippine vessels and Filipino fishers, and dangerously close aerial maneuvers,” which it warned “place lives at risk, unnecessarily destroy property at sea, and undermine peace and stability in the WPS and the region.”

Manila reiterated its call for China to abide by international law and the 2016 Arbitral Award, while underscoring its openness to dialogue. "We call on China to abide by international law, particularly UNCLOS and the 2016 Arbitral Award, to ensure stability in the region,” the council said. “The Philippines remains open to constructive dialogue and consultations for the peaceful development of the region in accordance with international law.”

Source: pna.gov.ph