Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeWorldSouth China Sea Dispute: Spirit of Camp David, India Power Philippines to...

South China Sea Dispute: Spirit of Camp David, India Power Philippines to Challenge China – News18


Philippine Marines and a journalist gesture towards a Chinese vessel, which attempted to block a Philippine government supply ship from reaching the disputed Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea. (Image: Reuters)

Philippine Marines and a journalist gesture towards a Chinese vessel, which attempted to block a Philippine government supply ship from reaching the disputed Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea. (Image: Reuters)

The dispute regarding Ayungin Shoal in the South China Sea has deepened but Manila finds support from friends in Washington, Seoul, Tokyo and New Delhi.

The Philippine military said that it will dispatch another resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre – a World War II-era ship in a South China Sea shoal which Manila is using as a tool to stake its claim in a territorial dispute with China.

China earlier this month tried to block a similar operation spurring a war of words between Beijing and Manila and reigniting the territorial dispute over South China Sea which China wants under its sphere of influence.

Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman Medel Aguilar said the resupply mission is Manila’s display of resolve to stand up against threats and coercion and upholding the rule of law.

“We, therefore, call on all relevant parties to abide by their obligations under international law and respect the Philippines’ sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction over its maritime zones,” Aguilar was quoted as saying by news outlet Bloomberg.

China has demanded that Philippines tow away the vessel and on August 5 attacked a Philippine resupply vessel with water cannons to deter it, leading to war of words between Philippines and Beijing and reigniting the debate around jurisdiction of the South China Sea.

Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has doubled down and said that he will not pull out the ship that Manila placed in Ayungin Shoal in 1999 in retaliation to China forcibly occupying the Mischief Reef in 1995. Beijing also claims the shoal in South China Sea and has named it Ren’ai Jiao.

The Spirit of Camp David

US President Joe Biden met counterparts Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at Camp David last week and their joint statement titled “The Spirit of Camp David” may have emboldened the stance taken by the Philippines.

The three world leaders said they support the ruling against China’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea by an international tribunal in The Hague in 2016.

“[W]e strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the waters of the Indo-Pacific. (The ruling by the) tribunal sets out the legal basis for the peaceful resolution of maritime conflicts between the parties to that proceeding,” the statement said.

“Together, we’re going to stand up for international law, freedom of navigation and the peaceful resolution of disputes in the South China Sea,” Biden said, with South Korean President Yoon also urging all parties to respect international order, showing support for the Philippines without naming China.

It should be noted that India also backed Philippines and called for upholding the rule of law when Philippines foreign affairs secretary Enrique A. Manalo met Dr S Jaishankar in June.

“They underlined the need for peaceful settlement of disputes and for adherence to international law, especially the UNCLOS and the 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea in this regard,” a press release from the external affairs ministry said.



Source link

RELATED ARTICLES

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

- Advertisment -

Most Popular

Recent Comments