China harassment vs. Philippines a concern in Europe —Germany

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Thursday said China's dangerous maneuvers against Philippine vessels in the South China Sea have sparked concerns in Europe, saying such actions violate international laws and impede freedom of navigation.

"I think we all agree that the world doesn't need another crisis," Baerbock told a press briefing in Manila.

“There are rough winds blowing across the South China Sea, and this is happening in the middle of one of most dynamic economic regions of the world," she added.

The incidents over the recent months wherein the Chinese Coast Guard has used lasers and water cannons against Philippine resupply vessels and collision incidents "are of concern for us in Europe even though we are thousands of kilometers away," Germany's top diplomat said.

"Such risky maneuvers violate the rights opportunities for economic development of your own country and other littoral states as well," said Baerbock, adding that 

China's actions "call into question the freedom of navigation that is enshrined in international law."

Baerbock is currently in the country for an official visit where she met her counterpart Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Malacanang.

The visit marks the first visit by a German Federal Foreign Minister to the Philippines in over a decade.

Key discussions revolved around political and economic relations, with a focus on Germany’s peace initiatives and development cooperation with the Philippines, and the two countries’ commitment to the rules-based international order amid increasing tensions in the South China Sea.

Demonstrating its extreme displeasure over China’s successive dangerous maneuvers against Philippine vessels, the Philippine government formally handed a stronger diplomatic note to the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing in December last year.

A demarche was made due to back-to-back water cannon attacks against Philippines government supply vessels, while one was bumped by a bigger Chinese Coast Guard ship in two separate incidents in Scarborough Shoal and Second Thomas Shoal in December. Manila calls Scarborough Shoal, Bajo de Masinloc, and Second Thomas Shoal, Ayungin.

In diplomacy, a demarche is made either to object to actions by a foreign government or to request policy support.

Using a stronger language, the Philippine demarche highlights the country’s serious concerns and the gravity of China's series of aggressive actions in the South China Sea and the escalation of tensions between the two Asian neighbors locked in long-running territorial disputes over the strategic and resource-rich waters.  

At the press briefing, Manalo thanked Baerbock "for Germany’s unflinching support for international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the final and legally-binding 2016 Arbitral Award" and for being a "valuable partner" of the Philippines.

Baerbock underscored the need to strengthen its cooperation with "our friends and partners like the Philippines," including the coast guard to ensure that international law is complied with.

International law, she said, is "the best guarantee" and "protection" for every state in the world, particularly for small countries.

Germany, she added, may also provide additional drones to the Philippines.

“We want to continue this cooperation with the coastal area not only with regard to additional drones but also when it comes to training and regional cooperation this strength maritime security and rules-based international order." —NB, GMA Integrated News