A Philippine naval ship, two Chinese vessels and a minimum of eight fishing boats are in a standoff near a shoal within the South China Sea that the Philippines says is easily within its territory.  However, China says the fishermen are in its sovereign waters. Either side say they try to come back to a diplomatic solution.
Illegal poaching discovered
The Philippine Navy says in recent days its patrol ship discovered illegal poaching by Chinese fishermen in waters off of Scarborough shoal, 230 kilometers west Zambales, Philippines. The rustic argues that's well inside the 370 kilometer exclusive economic zone designated by international law.
The head of the navy says officers went on board eight boats and located coral, large clams and live sharks that are listed as endangered by the Philippines. He says they weren't ready to arrest the fishermen because two Chinese government boats arrived and positioned themselves between the fishing boats and the Philippine patrol ship.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario summoned China’s ambassador and says he reiterated the United Nations Convention at the Law of the ocean, which states a rustic has sovereignty over waters which are 370 kilometers from its coastline. He says their first round of talks hit an impasse. "i discussed that, if the Philippines is challenged, we're prepared to secure our sovereignty,†he said.
China claims sovereignty over practically the whole South China Sea, in line with a centuries old map. Except for the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan even have partial or entire claims within the sea, which has abundant waters, potential vast reserves of oil and natural gas and a few of probably the most highly traveled sea lanes.
In the past year, the Philippines has complained of various run-ins with China at the South China Sea. China maintains its historical claim.
China says law enforcement activities a violation
A spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Liu Weimin, told a briefing Wednesday that China has "launched solemn representations†with the Philippines in regards to the incident at the shoal locally named Huangyan.
He says the attempt by the Philippines to hold out the so-called law enforcement activities in waters off of Huangyan Island is in violation of Chinese sovereignty in addition to the consensus between the 2 countries to keep up peace and stability of the South China Sea.
In a press release, the Chinese ambassador’s office urged the Philippines to forestall what it called illegal activities by the Navy and demanded its ship to depart the realm.
Vessels stalled
The U.S.-built Gregorio Del Pilar, positioned on the mouth of the lagoon, continues to pen-within the two Chinese government ships and the fishing boats. The navy says nothing was taken off the boats. Meanwhile, the Philippine Coast Guard says it is going to deploy a patrol boat to maintain watch over the Naval ship, that's the Philippines one and only warship.
Del Rosario says he's confident the placement shouldn't escalate into armed conflict. He stated the cast economic partnership the Philippines has with China and both countries’ commitment to building friendly relations.
Three weeks ago the Philippines launched a two-year cultural exchange with China that's intended to assist solidify friendly relations between the 2 countries. Beijing’s own launch was Wednesday.
From WhatNewsToday.net
0 comments:
Post a Comment