China urged to end incursions in WPS

China should end its incursions in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) as a word of honor with the United States, which vowed an "ironclad" defense support for the country in light of the escalating tensions in the contested waterway.

Veteran lawmaker Rufus Rodriguez issued the call on Saturday following reports of US top diplomat Antony Blinken's recent commitment to back up the country in its longstanding maritime dispute with China.

In his second visit to China in less than a year, Blinken met Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday (Beijing time), during which he discussed, among others, the naval maneuver in the South China Sea, which overlaps with the WPS and reiterated America's "ironclad" support for the Philippines, its long-time treaty ally in Asia.

"I made clear that while the US will continue to de-escalate tensions, our defense commitments to the Philippines remain ironclad," Blinken said during a meeting with China's top leaders.

Blinked said the US and China have reached a consensus to maintain and strengthen lines of communication in dealing with their differences to "avoid any miscommunications, any misperceptions, [and] any miscalculations."

Rodriguez, a staunch critic of China, acknowledged the US commitment to the Philippines and stressed that China could only be true to its word with America by ceasing its dangerous actions in the hotly contested WPS.

"That is the only way Beijing can avoid miscalculation with the US, which is treaty-obligated to defend the Philippines," contented Rodriguez, adding that China should also give up the sea features inside the Philippines' exclusive economic zone that it has occupied, some of which already militarized by Chinese.

Moreover, he pointed out that China should abandon Scarborough Shoal, or the Bajo de Masinloc to Zambales and Pangasinan fishermen, which it seized in 2012, and stop harassing resupply missions to BRP Sierra Madre, the Philippine military outpost in Ayungin Shoal off Palawan in the WPS.

Rodriguez reiterated that Scarborough Shoal and Ayungin Shoal are within the Philippine 200-mile EEZ, and China must ditch its false jurisdiction claim.

"There is no doubt that these are within our exclusive economic zone under the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Seas. Clearly, Beijing has to stop its intrusions into our EEZ, including the WPS, and its harassment of our troops and fishermen to stop a possible miscalculation with the US," added Rodriguez, the chairperson of the House committee on constitutional amendments.

China has territorial claims in nearly the entire SCS, which overlaps the WPS, notwithstanding a 2016 arbitral ruling that deemed its sovereignty assertion baseless.

The ruling affirmed the Philippines' 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone in the WPS.

Chinese vessels blatantly disregard this verdict by continuously hitting the Philippine resupply boats, which adds to a series of its past attacks, including the military-grade laser pointing and collusion of boats, among others.

US President Joe Biden has vowed that America's defense commitment to the Philippines is ironclad and that any attack on Filipino aircraft, vessels, or armed forces will invoke its Mutual Defense Treaty with the Philippines.