The Philippines has defended the presence of one of its vessels near a South China Sea shoal, saying the area is in its territory, despite Beijing’s claim that the ship “infringes” China’s sovereignty.
The Philippine Coast Guard said it has the right to sail in the waters near the shoal after Beijing protested its presence and sought its immediate withdrawal. China said on Friday that the Philippine vessel entered the lagoon of Xianbin Jiao, its term for Escoda Shoal, “without permission and has been there for a long time, which seriously infringes on China’s sovereignty.”
The situation in the shoal adds to the lingering tensions between the two countries that have competing claims in the South China Sea. Earlier this month, the Philippines filed a diplomatic protest against China after Manila said two Chinese air force aircraft made “dangerous” manoeuvres and dropped flares in the path of a Philippine Air Force plane patrolling over Scarborough Shoal in the contested waters.
“Our Philippine Coast Guard vessels have the right to operate within the lagoon of Escoda Shoal for as long as necessary, without requiring permission from any other country,” coast guard spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela said in a post on social media platform X on Sunday. The action wasn’t taken to “provoke or escalate tensions” but to protect the Philippines’ “sovereign rights over these waters,” he said.
The Philippines deployed a patrol ship near the shoal in April after reports that China was reclaiming land in the area. Beijing said it has protested to the Philippines “through diplomatic channels” and asked Manila “to stop its infringement activities and withdraw the vessel at once.”