China Emphasizes “Business as Usual” for Filipino Military and Fishermen in Response to Unilateral Sanctions on Foreigners and Foreign Ships
China recently announced a policy to unilaterally detain foreigners entering the South China Sea and foreign ships, raising concerns as the Philippines has decided to ignore this policy, increasing the risk of conflict. The Philippines has been actively responding to recent disputes in the South Pacific region, including the construction of missile bases to counter Chinese ships in the South China Sea.
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| In the disputed South China Sea, a Chinese coast guard ship collides with a Philippine navy supply ship. AP Yonhap News |
, On the 15th (local time), according to Reuters and other sources, Philippine military chief of staff Romeo Browner urged Filipino fishermen the day before to continue fishing in the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea regardless of China’s policy. Browner emphasized to the fishermen, “Do not be afraid and continue your usual activities in our EEZ. We have the right to exploit resources in that area, so our fishermen have no reason to be afraid.”
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, China announced that starting from the 15th, it will enforce regulations allowing the Chinese coast guard to detain foreigners and foreign ships entering the South China Sea, the waters claimed by China, for up to 60 days. In addition, fishing bans will be imposed in some areas of the South China Sea from May 1 to September 16 for about four and a half months. In response, the Philippines stated that China’s actions unilaterally encompassing its EEZ are baseless and will be rejected. The Philippine navy and coast guard have decided to increase ship deployments in the Spratly Islands and Scarborough Shoal, disputed areas with China.
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, According to China’s state-run Global Times reported on the 16th that in response to this, the Chinese military has deployed amphibious landing ships for the first time in the Spratly Islands. According to the report, on the 14th, the Philippine navy witnessed a 075-type amphibious landing ship of the Chinese navy at one of the defense islets in the island.
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, The United States, a mutual defense treaty partner of the Philippines, maintains the position that under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Chinese domestic laws should not be applied to the EEZ or territorial waters of other countries. The U.S. State Department expressed concerns that China’s enforcement of these regulations could escalate tensions and harm regional peace and security.