South China Sea: claims of coercion, deception as Beijing and Manila wage new war of words
On Monday, a Manila maritime council accused China of aggressive tactics; the next day Beijing said the Philippines was ‘provoking trouble’
The Chinese embassy in the Philippines on Tuesday said a statement the day before by the National Maritime Council – a government body created by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr in 2024 to address the nation’s maritime challenges – was “unfounded and misleading”.
It accused Manila of “provoking trouble and attempting to change the status quo” in the disputed waters.
New collision of Chinese-Philippine ships in South China Sea
“China has been compelled to take necessary measures in response, to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and to ensure the full and effective implementation of the DOC,” an embassy spokesperson said in an English statement.
Known as the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, the DOC is a political document signed in 2002 when China and Asean agreed to seek a peaceful solution to the maritime disputes.
On Monday, the Philippine National Maritime Council, which is responsible for formulating and coordinating policies and strategies on maritime security and domain awareness, released a statement rejecting Beijing’s claims that the Philippines was staging provocations in the South China Sea by deploying vessels and allowing Filipino fishermen to operate in the disputed waters.
It said China’s “persistent illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive (ICAD) activities” had led to the tensions in the waters.
“China’s claim that the Philippines ‘stages provocations’ by deploying government vessels or allowing Filipino fisherfolk to operate in these waters is preposterous and completely false,” the council said.