China: PH vessels threatened safety of Chinese personnel near Pag-asa Island

Beijing asserted Tuesday that Philippine vessels were sailing dangerously near Pag-asa Island in the West Philippine Sea, putting the lives of Chinese personnel in a fishing boat at risk.

This developed after the Chinese Foreign Ministry was asked about the Oct. 11 incident wherein a Chinese maritime militia vessel deliberately collided with a Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) boat in the vicinity of the Pag-asa (Sandy) Cays, about five nautical miles from Pag-asa (Thitu) Island in Barangay Pag-asa, Kalayaan, Palawan.

According to the BFAR, the BRP Datu Cabaylo and BRP Datu Sanday were conducting a routine maritime patrol at the time when a Chinese militia vessel conducted "dangerous maneuvers" around the Datu Cabaylo and attempted to block its path.

Sought for comment about the matter during a press conference in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that, "As far as I know, the truth is that Philippine official vessels sailed dangerously in waters under China's jurisdiction and collided with a Chinese fishing boat conducting regular operation there."

"The behavior violates China's sovereignty and gravely threatens the safety of Chinese fishing boats and crew," she said.

She then called on Manila "to earnestly respect China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea" as it also called for a halt on any actions that may complicate the situation.

On Tuesday last week, two BFAR ships were water cannoned by Chinese vessels during a resupply mission in the vicinity of Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal.

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. earlier said that being frustrated was an understatement, when asked how he feels about Chinese activities in the South China Sea.

In his participation at the recently concluded Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Related Summits in Lao PDR, Marcos called on member-states of the bloc to fast-track the ASEAN-China Code of Conduct to achieve meaningful progress amid China's aggression in the region.

China claims almost all of the South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual shipborne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.

In 2016, an international arbitration tribunal in Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines over China's claims in the South China Sea, saying that it had "no legal basis" and invalidating its massive claim in the region.

China has since rejected the ruling. — VDV, GMA Integrated News