Reuters-China Philippines trade accusations over South China Sea collision
October 22, 2023 3 min 603 words
这篇报道揭示了中国和菲律宾在南中国海的一次碰撞事件，再次引发了两国之间的紧张关系。中国方面声称他们是合法地拦截了一艘菲律宾船只，阻止其运送“非法建筑材料”到一艘用作哨所的船上，而菲律宾则强烈谴责中国的“危险阻挡行为”，认为中国的行动侵犯了菲律宾的主权权益。 这种事件不仅引起了美国的支持，还引起了加拿大、日本等国驻菲律宾大使馆的担忧，以及欧盟大使对事件的警告。此外，菲律宾总统强化了与美国的军事合作，美国已表明将保护菲律宾，如果其海岸警卫队在南中国海的任何地方受到攻击。 南中国海争端已经成为国际关注焦点，特别是在中国声称对整个南中国海拥有主权的情况下，这引发了周边国家的抗议。国际仲裁庭曾在2016年表示中国的主张没有法律依据，但中国一直坚决拒绝接受这一裁决。 这次事件再次凸显了南中国海的危险局势，需要各方克制和寻求和平解决争端。国际社会应敦促各方通过外交途径解决分歧，维护地区的和平与稳定。
China and the Philippines traded accusations over a collision in disputed waters of the South China Sea as Chinese vessels blocked Philippine boats 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.
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.
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.
The Canadian and Japanese embassies in Manila also expressed support for the Philippines and alarm over the collision. The European Union's ambassador, Luc Veron, said, "These incidents, their repetition and intensification are dangerous and very disturbing".
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".
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.
In another incident during the same resupply mission, it said a Philippine coast guard vessel's port side was bumped by a Chinese maritime militia vessel.
"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.