South China Sea: Marcos says Philippines ‘will not sit silent’ from China
Last updated: March 28, 2024, 14:28 IST
Chinese coast guard ships launch water splashes on the Philippine resupply ship Unaiza heading for a resupply mission at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea on May 4, March 5, 2024. (Reuters)
President Marcos vowed that the Philippines will not be silenced by Beijing amid clashes in the South China Sea. Read about the latest conflicts here
President Ferdinand Marcos said Thursday that the Philippines will not “submit in silence” to Beijing following a confrontation in the South China Sea that left Filipino soldiers injured and ships damaged.
Marcos said in a statement posted on his Will bow.”
During these past days, I have met and spoken with our country’s national security and defense leadership. They have made their considered recommendations and through extensive discussions, I have given them my instructions. I also constantly…
– Bongbong Marcos (@bongbongmarcos) 28 March 2024
He said that in the face of open, unhindered and illegal, coercive, aggressive and dangerous attacks by agents of China’s coast guard and Chinese maritime militia, the Philippines “will respond with a countermeasures package that is proportionate, deliberate and appropriate.” , “The Filipino people do not bow down,” Marcos said.
Marcos’ comments came after the latest clashes in the disputed waterway, during which the China Coast Guard fired water cannons on a Philippine ship carrying supplies for troops stationed on a remote reef. Beijing and Manila have a long history of maritime territorial disputes in the strategic waterway and there have been repeated collisions between their ships near the disputed reefs in recent months.
‘Chinese Water Canon’
The China Coast Guard attacked the Philippine supply ship with water cannon and stopped it as it approached Ayungin Shoal. Chinese action leads to near confrontation. pic.twitter.com/DCYfJ8vrHN– Siddhant Sibal (@siddhant) 24 March 2024
Manila had earlier said three Filipino navy personnel were injured and their supply ship was seriously damaged in last Saturday’s incident. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, rejecting rival claims from other countries including the Philippines and an international ruling that its claim has no legal basis.
On Thursday, China blamed Philippine actions for the recent rising tensions between the two sides in the hotly disputed waters. “The Philippine side’s provocations are the direct cause of the recent heating up of the South China Sea issue,” Beijing’s Defense Ministry said in a statement titled “China will not allow the Philippines to take deliberate action.” “Relying on the support of external forces… the Philippine side has frequently violated rights and caused disturbances at sea, as well as spread misinformation to mislead the international community’s perception of the issue, that is, It can be said that progress is being made. And on a dangerous road ahead,” it added.
(with agency input)
