MaryKay Carlson
The top American diplomat in the Philippines called out China’s “irresponsible behavior” in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), days after the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported yet another tense encounter with its Chinese counterpart in the disputed waters.
US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson was reacting to accounts that a Chinese Coast Guard ship undertook “dangerous maneuvers” to block one of the two PCG vessels that were on a resupply mission to a military outpost at Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal on June 30.
“We are concerned by the unprofessional maneuvers of the China Coast Guard against the Philippine Coast Guard,” Carlson said in a Twitter post on Friday.
“The [People’s Republic of China]’s irresponsible behavior in the South China Sea threatens the security and legal rights of our treaty ally, the Philippines,” she added.
Carlson reiterated Washington’s call for Beijing to comply with international law, including the 2016 arbitral tribunal ruling that invalidated China’s expansive claims over the South China Sea.
‘Coercive, risky’
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III also expressed concern over the June 30 incident, describing the Chinese vessel’s attempted blockade a “coercive and risky operational behavior.”
Austin noted that the PCG was “operating safely and lawfully” as it backed up a Philippine Navy resupply mission to the deliberately grounded BRP Sierra Madre, which has been serving as an outpost for Filipino troops in the WPS since the 1990s.
Austin assurance
In a phone call to Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro on Thursday, Austin reiterated the US “ironclad” commitment to come to the aid of the Philippines under the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, which he said extends to Philippine vessels in the South China Sea. But Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Thursday insisted that Ayungin is part of China’s Nansha Islands, where the shoal is called Ren’ai Reef in Chinese maps.
‘Law enforcement’
The Chinese Coast Guard’s maneuvers cited by the PCG, Wang said, remained “professional and restrained” throughout the encounter.
“The Philippine Coast Guard vessels intruded into the waters off the Ren’ai Reef without Chinese permission,” Wenbin said at a press briefing. “In accordance with the law, the Chinese Coast Guard vessel carried out law enforcement activities to uphold China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime order. The Chinese side’s maneuvers were professional and restrained.”
—Kathleen De Villa
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