The China Coast Guard (CCG) said on Friday that it has taken necessary measures against Philippine official vessel 3006, which deliberately intruded into the adjacent waters of China’s Huangyan Dao, despite repeated warnings and dissuasions from the Chinese side.
The CCG took necessary measures, including issuing warnings, tracking and monitoring, expelling the vessel, and using water cannons to alert the ship, CCG spokesperson Liu Dejun said in a statement.
The measures were taken in accordance with relevant laws and regulations and they are all carried out in a professional, standardized, justified, and lawful manner, said the spokesperson, stressing that the Philippine side’s actions have seriously violated China’s sovereignty and breached relevant provisions of international and Chinese law.
Liu emphasized that the Philippines’ repeated provocations and harassment cannot change the fact that Huangyan Dao belongs to China, and the CCG will continue to take all necessary measures in accordance with the law to firmly safeguard national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.
On Thursday night, the CCG also released a statement, saying that it had lawfully handled illegal activities by multiple Philippine vessels in waters adjacent to Banyue Jiao and Jianzhang Jiao of China’s Nansha Qundao from Sunday to Wednesday. In the statement, Liu emphasized that China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands, including Banyue Jiao and Jianzhang Jiao, as well as their adjacent waters.
The two back-to-back statements issued by the CCG clearly demonstrate China’s resolve and readiness to respond to the Philippines’ illegal actions, said Ding Duo, director of the Research Center for International and Regional Studies at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies.
The Philippines is deliberately attempting to keep tensions in the South China Sea in the spotlight, as the region has remained generally stable, compared to other regions, with most ASEAN members working with China to manage differences, Ding told the Global Times on Friday.
Moreover, the Philippines is provoking tensions to attract greater US attention and support, and driven by strategic anxiety, it seeks to amplify tensions to avoid being sidelined by Washington, according to Ding.
However, the Philippines’ provocative actions and infringements are unlikely to yield any real advantage, said Ding, noting that the Chinese side can track Philippine vessels as soon as they are deployed, and has a full range of tools and resources to safeguard its maritime rights.
