The United States of America, Japan and Australia denounced China Coast Guard’s unabated dangerous actions maneuvers and against Philippine Coast Guard vessels.
In its post, US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson said, “We stand with our Philippines allies in the face of dangerous actions by the People’s Republic of China Coast Guard and maritime militia to obstruct a Philippine resupply mission to Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea.”
Meanwhile, Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines KOSHIKAWA Kazuhiko said in his post, “Totally unacceptable any harassment & actions which infringe on lawful activities of the sea and endanger the navigational safety. We strongly support the Philippines’ position; upholding maritime order based on UNCLOS & 2016 Arbitral Award.”
For her part, Australian envoy to the Philippines Hae Kyong Yu said, “The latest actions directed against the Philippines, which are dangerous and destabilising,” it says. “We reiterate our call for peace, stability, and respect for UNCLOS in the South China Sea – a vital international waterway.”
The Philippine Coast Guard made their official statement through PCG Spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, CG Commodore Jay Tarriela and it says:
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) strongly condemns the China Coast Guard’s (CCG’s) dangerous maneuvers and illegal use of water cannons against the PCG vessels escorting the indigenous boats chartered by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) yesterday, 05 August 2023.
These boats were delivering food, water, fuel and other supplies to our military troops stationed on BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal.
Such actions by the CCG not only disregarded the safety of the PCG crew and the supply boats but also violated international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the 1972 Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS), and the 2016 Arbitral Award.
The PCG calls on the China Coast Guard to restrain its forces, respect the sovereign rights of the Philippines in its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, refrain from hampering freedom of navigation, and take appropriate actions against the individuals involved in this unlawful incident.
We ask that the China Coast Guard, as an organization with a responsibility to observe state obligations under UNCLOS, COLREGs, and other relevant instruments of international maritime safety and security, to cease all illegal activities within the maritime zones of the Philippines.