Embassy says US should let Philippines, China settle 'vessel swarming' issue
MANILA, Philippines — The Chinese Embassy on Tuesday evening called a US State Department statement on reports of Chinese vessels swarming areas of the Spratlys an attempt to "stir up troubles and drive a wedge between China and the Philippines."
The embassy also said the US State Department statement "contains unfounded accusations against China."
It did not address a statement by the Philippines' defense department that expressed "great concern" over the "unacceptable" activities of China which it said "violate our sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction, and undermine the peace and stability of the region."
Statement by the Spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines pic.twitter.com/uFF3QPFYmP
— ChineseEmbassyManila (@Chinaembmanila) December 20, 2022
"The US keeps meddling in the South China Sea disputes and trying to drive wedges between countries in the region, creating tensions and harming regional peace and stability. What the US has done is not to help anyone but to serve its own geopolitical interests," the embassy said, claiming the Philippines and China have managed to maintain stability in the South China Sea — part of which is the West Philippine Sea.
"The two countries share the Asian wisdom of settling differences through dialogue and consultation. Under the strategic guidance of our two heads of state, China and the Philippines have agreed to place South China Sea disputes at a proper place in the bilateral relations and manage them properly through dialogue and consultation," the embassy also said.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines last week reassured the public that it continues to patrol the West Philippine Sea — the part of the South China Sea in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone and continental shelf — in the face of reports from government agencies of foreign vessels in the waters.
The military noted that it has monitored continuing and repeated violations against the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea by foreign vessels, "and these are being reported to and acted upon by concerned agencies."
In a statement earlier Tuesday, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said "[t]he reported escalating swarms of [People's Republic of China] vessels in the vicinity of Iroquois Reef and Sabina Shoal in the Spratly Islands interfere with the livelihoods of Philippine fishing communities, and also reflect continuing disregard for other South China Sea claimants and states lawfully operating in the region."
Price said Washington backs the Philippines' calls for China to respect international law in the South China Sea, as reflected in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2016 ruling of a Hague-based arbitral tribunal that voided Beijing's sweeping claims over the disputed waters.
China did not participate in the arbitral case and has so far ignored the 2016 ruling.
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