China gaslighting PH with BRP Sierra Madre removal claim –maritime law expert

A maritime law expert slammed China’s claim that the Philippines had committed to removing the BRP Sierra Madre from the Ayungin Shoal, calling it Beijing’s tactic to confuse Manila and doubt its position.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs earlier claimed that the Philippine government had promised to remove the vessel from the Ayungin Shoal, which Beijing calls Ren’ai Jiao.

The BRP Sierra Madre has been at the Ayungin Shoal since 1999. The ship, manned by more than a dozen Marines and sailors, became an enduring symbol of Philippine sovereignty in the contested waters.

At the Saturday News Forum, University of the Philippines Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea Director Jay Batongbacal said Beijing’s claim “is definitely a lie.”

“That is what you call gaslighting,” Batongbacal said.

“Hindi mo alam kung totoo o hindi kaya nagdududa ka sa sarili mong posisyon,” the maritime law expert said.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., himself, had stated that the Philippine government made no such promise to China.

The Philippines had earlier said it would “never” abandon the BRP Sierra Madre following China’s demand for its removal citing a “promise” the Philippines made.

Last week, China Coast Guard (CCG) used water cannons against Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessels going to Ayungin Shoal for a resupply mission at the BRP Sierra Madre.

This is not the first time that Chinese vessels have used water cannons against Philippine ships, or targeted resupply missions to the BRP Sierra Madre.

China on Monday repeated its demand that the Philippines remove the ship.

Beijing also defended the Ayungin Shoal incident, saying that it had taken "necessary controls" against Philippine boats that had "illegally" entered what it claimed were its waters.

In 2016 the Philippines triumphed in a landmark ruling by an international tribunal that invalidated China's massive claims to nearly the entirety of the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea, or the waters within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.

China has refused to recognize the ruling and has made repeated incursions into territories in the sea, as well as conducted reclamation activities in the area. — DVM, GMA Integrated News