The Chinese Foreign Minister’s comments come amid rising bilateral tensions over the location of a grounded warship that serves as a military outpost in the contentious waters…reports Asian Lite News
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged the Philippines to work with China to seek an effective way to defuse tensions in the South China Sea. Wang’s remarks came during a visit to Singapore and Malaysia which took place on Thursday and Friday.
China has repeatedly expressed its willingness to resolve differences with the Philippines through bilateral dialogue, hoping that the Philippine side would abide by a consensus reached in the past, Wang said.
The comments come amid rising tensions between the two countries over the location of a grounded warship that serves as a military outpost in the South China Sea.
The Philippines intentionally grounded the World War Two-era warship Sierra Madre in 1999 as part of its sovereignty claim to the Second Thomas Shoal, which lies within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), and rotates a handful of troops through the ship.
Manila won an international arbitration award in 2016 against China’s claim over almost all of the South China Sea, after a tribunal ruled Beijing’s sweeping claim had no legal basis, including at the Second Thomas Shoal.
China, which does not recognise the ruling, has built militarised, man-made islands in the South China Sea and its claim of historic sovereignty overlaps with the EEZs of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.
Concern over stand-off
Global concerns are rising over a territorial dispute between China and the US- aligned Philippines on a grounded warship situated in the South China Sea. On Saturday, the Philippine military accused Beijing of breaking international law by using a water cannon against its warship near the Spratly Islands and blocking vessels carrying food, water, fuel and other supplies.
While the Chinese Foreign Ministry defended the actions with claims that Manila was bringing construction materials into the vessel, Manila called Beijing’s tactics as ‘excessive and dangerous’.
Jonathan Malaya, a senior official of Philippine National Security Council, reiterated that Manila will “never abandon our post in Ayungin Shoal” or the Second Thomas Shoal.
While the Spratly Islands are a collection of islands and other marine features such as reefs, banks and more, the Second Thomas Shoal is an atoll — a ring-shaped coral reef — in the Spratly Islands located in the South China Sea.
China stated action was taken after the Philippines “repeatedly ignored” demands to remove the grounded World War II ship from the South China Sea, which Beijing claims is under its expansive control. It also accused Manila of trying to “permanently occupy” the Ren’ai Reef, the Chinese term for the Second Thomas Shoal.
In response, the Philippine Foreign Ministry Tuesday observed that the “permanent station” at the atoll was in response to China’s “illegal occupation” of the Mischief Reef in 1995. Mischief Reef is located roughly 250 km from the Philippines’ Palawan Island and about 1,000 km from China’s nearest major landmass, Hainan island.
The grounded warship BRP Sierra Madre is currently under the commission of the Philippine Navy and is used as a makeshift military base. It has been at the centre of the conflict between Beijing and Manila after it was intentionally grounded in the Second Thomas Shoal in 1999 to function as a military post in the region.
India calls for peace
Referring to the recent incident of water cannon being used at Philippines supply boat by Chinese coast guard ship, India on Friday said that issues in the South China Sea need to be resolved peacefully while urging China and the Philippines to adhere to international laws.
“Let me emphasize where we are on the South China Sea developments. We’ve always felt that the issues need to be resolved, disputes peacefully, and the rules-based order, and we would certainly urge parties to follow that as well as ensure that no such incidents do not happen,” Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said when asked whether the tension between China and Philippinesis concerning India.
He further stated, “I mentioned specifically that I have already made a comment regarding the need to adhere to international law. I think I’d leave it at that.”
The “excessive and offensive” use of a water cannon by Chinese ship to block a Filipino supply boat occured at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea.
He reiterated that India has a long-standing position on the disputes regarding South China Sea as parties need to adhere to international laws.
“We have also underlined the need for peaceful settlement of disputes,” he added.
On August 5, the Philippines accused Chinese Coast Guard ships of firing water cannons and making dangerous manoeuvres at its ships in the South China Sea.
“The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) strongly condemns the China Coast Guard’s (CCG) dangerous manoeuvres and illegal use of water cannons against PCG vessels,” the PCG wrote in a statement shared on its official Facebook account Saturday.
PCG vessels were escorting ships carrying supplies to military troops stationed in Ayungin Shoal, also known as Second Thomas Shoal, in the Spratly Islands chain, known in China as the Nansha Islands.
ALSO READ-India urges peace in South China Sea
