NMC: WPS tensions due to China’s illegal, coercive activities
(FILES) This photo taken on 22 September 2023 shows a wooden boat, with Philippine fisherman Arnel Satam on board, drawn by a Chinese coast guard vessel after he was intercepted for attempting to enter Scarborough Shoal in disputed waters of the South China Sea. In a high-seas chase lasting several minutes, Satam tries in vain to outrun the faster boats and slip inside the ring of reefs controlled by China, where fish are more abundant. The fishermen complained that China's actions at Scarborough Shoal were robbing them of a key source of income and a place to shelter safely during a storm.
(Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP)
The National Maritime Council (NMC) on Monday stressed that tensions in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) stem from China’s own “illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive” actions in the area.
In a statement, the NMC reiterated the Philippines’ “consistent and principled position” that developments in the WPS are driven by China’s continued activities within maritime zones that belong to the Philippines under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and as affirmed by the 2016 Arbitral Award.
“The tensions in the WPS are the direct result of China’s persistent illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive (ICAD) activities,” the council said, countering Beijing’s claim that the Philippines stages provocations in the disputed waters.
The NMC described as “preposterous and completely false” China’s assertion that Manila provokes incidents by deploying government vessels or allowing Filipino fisherfolk to operate in the area.
It further stressed that Filipino fishers are civilians lawfully pursuing their livelihoods within the country’s maritime zones.
“Protecting them is a responsibility of the State, not an act of escalation,” the council said.
According to the NMC, Philippine operations in the WPS are conducted solely to ensure maritime safety, provide humanitarian assistance, and enforce the law, all of which are legitimate and consistent with international law.
The NMC likewise slammed the actions of Chinese vessels and aircraft, citing dangerous maneuvers, blocking and ramming incidents, intimidation, the use of water cannons against Philippine vessels and fishermen, and dangerously close aerial encounters.
These activities, it said, place lives at risk, damage property at sea, and undermine peace and stability in the WPS and the broader region.
The NMC called on China to abide by international law, particularly UNCLOS and the 2016 Arbitral Award, to help ensure regional stability.
It also reiterated that “the Philippines remains open to constructive dialogue and consultations” aimed at the “peaceful development of the region in accordance with international law.”