Daily Tribune
FILE: This photo taken on September 20, 2023 shows a Philippine fisherman aboard his wooden boat sailing past a Chinese coast guard ship near the Chinese-controlled Scarborough Shoal in disputed waters of the South China Sea. China, which claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, snatched control of Scarborough Shoal from the Philippines in 2012. Since then, it has deployed coast guard and other vessels to block or restrict access to the fishing ground that has been tapped by generations of Filipinos. (Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP)
The United States on Sunday denounced China's actions in the West Philippine Sea that led to a collision of its vessels with Philippine vessels en route to a resupply mission to the Ayungin Shoal.
In a tweet, US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson described China Coast Guard's actions as a "disruption" of a "legal" resupply mission of the Philippines to the BRP Sierra Madre, its permanent military post in the West Philippine Sea.
"The United States condemns PRC's latest disruption of a legal Philippine resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal, putting the lives of Filipino service members at risk," Carlson said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Earlier today, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea accused the CCG of performing "dangerous blocking maneuvers" that resulted in a collision with the Unaiza May 2, an indigenous boat contracted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines for a resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre.
The NTF-WPS condemned the "provocative, irresponsible, and illegal action" of the China Coast Guard ship which "imperiled the safety" of the Unaiza May 2 crew.
It also flagged the "bumping" of the Chinese Maritime Militia vessel against the Philippine Coast Guard BRP Cabra's port side while it was lying approximately 6.4 nautical miles northeast of Ayungin Shoal.
Carlson said Washington "stands" with Manila in "protecting Philippine sovereignty and in support of a #FreeAndOpenIndoPacific."
Over the past months, the US reiterated its "ironclad" alliance commitment to the Philippines, amid the escalating tension in the WPS, a portion of the South China Sea both claimed by the Philippines and China.
In August, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III stressed that the Mutual Defense Treaty between Washington and Manila is extended to the latter's public vessels.
In a separate statement, Canada also condemned what it described as "unlawful and dangerous conduct" of the People's Republic of China in the WPS, which "provoked two collisions with Philippine vessels engaged in routine operations inside the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone, in the vicinity of Ayungin Shoal."
"The PRC's actions are unjustified. China has no lawful claim to the West Philippine Sea. Its actions are incompatible with the obligations of a signatory to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea," the Canadian Embassy in Manila said.
"Continuing acts of intimidation and coercion undermine safety, stability, and security across the region, and increase the risk of miscalculation," it added.
Canada said it welcomed the news that no injuries resulted from these collisions and commended the "professionalism and restraint exercised" by the Philippine Coast Guard.
"Canada affirms its support for a rules-based order in the South China Sea consistent with international law, including UNCLOS and the 2016 Arbitral decision, which is final and binding on the parties," it said.
Ayungin Shoal, also known as Second Thomas Shoal, is located 105 nautical miles west of Palawan and is part of the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.
China claims the vast South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea.
On 12 July 2016, the Philippines won its arbitral case against China in the Permanent Court of Arbitration – a landmark decision that China continues to reject.
