Japan’s envoy to the Philippines on Thursday slammed China for its “dangerous behavior” in the South China Sea.
“As China’s unilateral actions, such as repeated intrusions into Japan’s waters around the Senkaku Islands in the ECS (East China Sea), China’s dangerous behavior in the South China Sea in defiance of the 2016 arbitration award is a grave concern for regional peace and stability,” Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Koshikawa Kazuhiko said on Twitter.
Koshikawa’s statement came a day after the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported that two Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessels made a “dangerous maneuver” against two PCG ships assisting the resupply mission to military troops in the Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea on June 30.
Manila refers to parts of the South China Sea that fall within its exclusive economic zone as the West Philippine Sea.
PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela said BRP Malabrigo and BRP Pascua were en route to the shoal when the CCG ships came close within an “approximate distance of 100 yards”, forcing the Philippine vessels to decrease their speed to prevent a possible collision. Radio challenges were also sent out by foreign vessels.
Despite the incident, Tarriela said the resupply mission was accomplished and the PCG vessels were able to safely return to their respective areas of operation.
In July 2016, an international arbitral court in The Hague, Netherlands, invalidated China’s maritime claims in the South China Sea. The decision angered Beijing, which refused to participate in the arbitration initiated by the Philippine government in 2013.
Japan and China are in dispute over some islands in the East China Sea, which has long been a sticking point in their bilateral ties. Beijing calls the islands Diaoyu, while Tokyo calls them Senkaku. — VBL, GMA Integrated News
