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The U.S. State Division on Saturday mentioned it “stands with” the Philippines in opposition to China’s “infringement” on the Southeast Asian nation’s “freedom of navigation” within the South China Sea, accusing the Communist nation of “harassment.”
“The US stands with The Philippines within the face of the Folks’s Republic of China (PRC) Coast Guard’s continued infringement upon freedom of navigation within the South China Sea,” the State Division mentioned in a launch. “Imagery and video just lately revealed within the media is a stark reminder of PRC harassment and intimidation of Philippine vessels as they undertake routine patrols inside their unique financial zone. We name upon Beijing to desist from its provocative and unsafe conduct. The US continues to trace and monitor these interactions intently.”
On Friday, the Philippines accused China of “aggressive techniques” following an incident final Sunday when a Chinese language coast guard ship triggered a close to collision by blocking a Philippine patrol vessel in a disputed shoal of the South China Sea.
China claims sovereignty over nearly all of the South China Sea, together with elements of the unique financial zones of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.
CHINA BLOCKS YELLEN’S SPEECH ON US NATIONAL SECURITY, BILATERAL ECONOMIC RELATIONSHIP
A Chinese language value guard ship blocking a Philippine coast guard ship final Sunday. (AP Photograph/Aaron Favila)
A 2016 ruling by a world arbitral courtroom discovered that China’s “nine-dash line” segments on maps to point out Its claims haven’t any authorized foundation.
The State Department added that the U.S. “stands with our Philippine allies in upholding the rules-based worldwide maritime order and reaffirms that an armed assault within the Pacific, which incorporates the South China Sea, on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or plane, together with these of the Coast Guard, would invoke U.S. mutual protection commitments underneath Article IV of the 1951 U.S. Philippines Mutual Protection Treaty.”
CHINA ISSUES WARNING AS US, PHILIPPINES STAGE LARGEST-EVER DRILLS
Throughout a patrol final weekend, the Chinese language coast guard referred to as the waters China’s “undisputable territories” and issued unspecified threats in opposition to the Philippine coast guard in the event that they didn’t depart.
“Since you’ve got disregarded our warning, we’ll take additional crucial measures on you in accordance with the legal guidelines and any penalties entailed can be borne by you,” the Chinese language coast guard mentioned final Sunday earlier than following the Philippine vessel and making an attempt to dam it from the mouth of the shoal. The Philippine vessel retreated for the protection of these onboard, together with journalists, and the ship’s Capt. Rodel Hernandez later referred to as the Chinese language ship’s maneuver “very harmful, including that it violated worldwide guidelines on collision avoidance.
China has lengthy demanded that the Philippines withdraw its small contingent of naval forces and tow away the actively commissioned however crumbling U.S. WWII warship BRP Sierra Madre that was intentionally marooned on the shoal in 1999 to function a logo of Manila’s territorial declare to the atoll.
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The Chinese language overseas ministry accused the Philippines of being aggressive within the incident, claiming it had encroached on its waters.
Reuters and the Related Press contributed to this report.
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