China has been urging the withdrawal of its ships for the second day in a row in response to the ‘water cannon’ conflict in the South China Sea, which is in dispute with the Philippines.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on the 8th, “The Spratly Islands (Chinese name Nansha Qundao) Second Thomas Shoal (Chinese name Ren’aijiao) are part of China’s Nansha Qundao,” and the Philippines illegally entered the reefs. It said it responded with “water cannons” as it attempted to transport building materials and lodged a stern complaint with the Philippines.
Second Thomas Shoal is a sand bar located 174 nautical miles from Puerto Princesa, west of Palawan Island. In 1999, the Philippine government deliberately ran aground the Sierra Madre, a naval ship built and abandoned by the US military during World War II, at Second Thomas Shoal, and stationed marines on the ship as an outpost for Philippine forces in the South China Sea.
Earlier, the Philippines pointed out that China had violated the Philippines’ sovereignty by violating the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Arbitral Act in the South China Sea when it fired water cannons at a supply ship on the 5th.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “The Philippines promised to tow the warship that illegally ‘sits down’ on the reef, but it has not towed it for 24 years and, of course, intends to realize permanent occupation through large-scale repair work.” We urge the ship to be immediately towed and restored to an unmanned and unmanned state.”
“The Philippines’ actions are in serious violation of international law and the ‘Declaration of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea’ signed by China and ASEAN countries,” it added.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “China has communicated several times through diplomatic channels and requested that the Philippines not transport construction materials for large-scale repair work.” Through this, we hope to properly handle maritime issues and jointly maintain the stability of bilateral relations and maritime situations.”
(Seoul = News 1)
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2023-08-08 02:47:00
