Reuters-China Philippines trade accusations over collision in South China Sea
October 22, 2023 3 min 543 words
这篇报道再次凸显了中国与菲律宾在南中国海的紧张关系。两国之间的争端在最近几个月内不断升级，这次发生在争议水域的碰撞只是众多海上对峙事件的最新案例。中国方面声称他们在“合法”阻止菲律宾船只运送“非法建设材料”到争议地区时，与一艘菲律宾船只发生了“轻微碰撞”。而菲律宾则强烈谴责中国的行为，称其为“危险的封锁行动”，并表示这些行为侵犯了菲律宾的主权。美国驻菲律宾大使也对中国的行为表示谴责，并表达了对菲律宾的支持。 这一事件凸显了南中国海的地缘政治紧张局势，中国声称对南中国海拥有主权，但国际仲裁庭在2016年裁定中国的主张没有法律依据。此外，菲律宾总统强化了与美国的军事合作，美国表示将保护菲律宾，尤其是在南中国海遭受攻击的情况下。 这一冲突的升级对地区和国际和平与稳定构成了威胁，强调了解决南中国海争端的紧迫性。双方需要通过外交途径解决分歧，遵守国际法，以维护地区的和平与安全。同时，国际社会应积极促进这一进程，确保南中国海不会成为潜在的冲突源。
China and the Philippines traded accusations over a collision in disputed waters of the South China Sea as Chinese vessels blocked a Philippine boat supplying forces there on Sunday, the latest in a series of maritime confrontations.
The two countries have had numerous run-ins in areas of the South China Sea in recent months, especially the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, part of the Spratly Islands.
The Philippines has been sending supplies to troops stationed on a rusted World War Two-era transport ship used as an outpost on the shoal, prompting China's coast guard to repeatedly deploy vessels to block the resupply missions.
In the incident on Sunday morning, China's coast guard said there had been a "slight collision" between one of its ships and the Philippine boat while the coast guard was "lawfully" blocking the boat from transporting "illegal construction materials" to the warship.
Manila responded by condemning "in the strongest degree" the "dangerous blocking manoeuvres" of the Chinese vessel.
China's "dangerous, irresponsible and illegal actions" were "in violation of Philippine sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction", Manila's Task Force for the West Philippine Sea said in a statement.
The United States expressed support for the Philippines, denouncing China's "disruption of a legal Philippine resupply mission".
"We stand with our #FriendsPartnersAllies in protecting Philippine sovereignty and in support of a #FreeAndOpenIndoPacific," Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson posted on X, the platform previously called Twitter.
Manila's relations with Beijing have soured under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has strengthened military engagement with Washington since taking office last year. The Pentagon said in May it would protect the Philippines if its coast guard came under attack "anywhere in the South China Sea".
Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, including parts of the exclusive economic zones of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 said China's claims had no legal basis.
Last week, the Philippine military demanded China stop its "dangerous and offensive" actions after a Chinese navy ship shadowed and attempted to cut off a Philippine navy vessel conducting a resupply mission.
China had warned the Philippines against further "provocations", saying such acts violated its territorial sovereignty.
Sunday's collision occurred during a routine resupply mission of a boat contracted by the Philippine armed forces, Manila said.
"The provocative, irresponsible, and illegal action" of the Chinese coast guard vessel "imperilled the safety of the crew" of the Philippine boat, the task force said.
China's coast guard said in a statement the Philippine vessel had ignored repeated warnings, crossed the bow of the Chinese ship and "deliberately provoked trouble", causing the collision.
"The Philippines behaviour seriously violates the international rules on avoiding collisions at sea and threatens the navigation safety of our vessels," the coast guard said.
Manila grounded the BRP Sierra Madre warship in 1999 as part of its sovereignty claim to the Second Thomas Shoal, which lies within its 200-mile exclusive economic zone.