Politics

Philippine says Chinese warships in South China sea ‘worrisome’

Bangkok, Feb 28 (EFE).- Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday described the presence of Chinese warships in disputed waters of the South China Sea as worrisome and said that his country would continue defending its maritime territory.

“It is worrisome because there are two elements (…) before it was just the Chinese Coast Guard moving in our area, now it is the Navy with the fishing boats. So the situation is changing,” Marcos Jr. told reporters ahead of a two-day official visit to Australia.

The president’s statements come amidst complaints by the Philippines and neighboring countries over alleged harassment of their ships by Chinese vessels as well as Beijing’s naval maneuvers in the region.

“We continue to support all our fishermen, our fisherfolk who make a living from these fishing grounds, and we will continue to help them,” Marcos Jr. said.

On Sunday, Manila accused the Chinese coast guard of blocking the passage of one of its ships on Feb. 22 while it was carrying fuel to fishermen near the Scarborough Shoal atoll, located approximately 120 nautical miles west of the Philippine coast, just two weeks after another similar incident.

Beijing and Manila dispute the sovereignty of several islands and shoals in the South China Sea, a strategic area through which nearly 30 percent of the global trade passes and home to nearly 12 percent of the world’s fishing grounds, as well as significant oil and gas deposits.

In a press conference on Monday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that Beijing had taken the necessary measures to safeguard its territory when asked if the country had installed a new floating barrier around the atoll.

The Philippines alleges that the atoll is within its exclusive economic zone and that the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague rejected Beijing’s sovereignty claims in 2016, a ruling that Chinese authorities refuse to abide by.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea along with some territories that are in the exclusive economic zones of countries such as the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam and Indonesia.

Tensions between China and the Philippines have increased since Ferdinand Marcos Jr. came to power in 2022 and strengthened his military alliance with the US, expanding access for American troops to the country’s bases.

In recent months, the Philippines coast guard has also accused China of increased aggression through the use of military lasers and water cannons to drive it away from disputed areas. EFE

pav/up/pd

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