South China Sea: Philippines accuses Beijing of intruding into its waters, stoking tensions
- The foreign ministry said the Chinese military’s claim that a Philippine ship ‘illegally entered’ waters near the Scarborough Shoal ‘has no legal basis’
- It added Manila has sovereign rights over the outcrop, which it calls Bajo de Masinloc
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the Chinese military’s claim that a Philippine military ship “illegally entered” waters near the Scarborough Shoal “has no legal basis and only serves to raise tensions” in the disputed waterway.
“It is China that is intruding into Philippine waters,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
The Philippines and China both lay claim to the Scarborough Shoal but sovereignty has never been established and it remains effectively under Beijing’s control since it seized it from Manila in 2012.
02:03
Beijing and Manila trade blame over ‘provocative’ moves with ship collisions near disputed shoal
“The Philippines has consistently demanded that Chinese vessels in Bajo de Masinloc leave the area immediately,” the foreign ministry said.
The shoal, located 200km (124 miles) off the Philippines, was part of an arbitration claim filed by Manila at an international tribunal. The court ruled in 2016 that Beijing’s claim to 90 per cent of the South China Sea had no basis under international law, but China has refused to recognise the ruling.
‘Always harassed’: the Filipino fishermen ensnared by South China Sea geopolitics
The Philippines presidential office said on Thursday that South China Sea matters will be part of the bilateral talks between Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and President Ferdinand Marcos on Friday. Kishida is set to arrive in Manila on Friday for a two-day visit.
Ahead of the visit, the Japan defence ministry also announced the delivery of the first air surveillance radar system to the Philippine military as part of a 2020 contract between the Philippines’ defence department and Mitsubishi Electric Corp.
