WASHINGTON, DC – The United States and Japan have openly criticized China’s recent actions in the West Philippine Sea, labeling them as “unlawful” and “unacceptable.” These rebukes come in response to aggressive maneuvers by Chinese maritime forces that disrupted a Philippine humanitarian mission.
According to Philippines News Agency, who expressed support for the Philippines on social media platform X, the People’s Republic of China’s actions endangered lives and disrupted a legally sanctioned mission. She highlighted that this incident is the latest in a series of dangerous actions by China in the region. Similarly, Japanese Ambassador Endo Kazuya used the same platform to voice opposition to any actions that escalate tensions and compromise safety in the West Philippine Sea.
On the ground, a recent incident detailed by Jonathan Malaya, spokesperson for the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS), involved aggressive and dangerous maneuvers from eight Chinese maritime vessels. These actions were aimed at obstructing the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessel, BRP Datu Sanday, from completing its mission to supply Filipino fishermen with essential resources at Hasa-Hasa and Escoda Shoals, both within the Philippine exclusive economic zone.
Moreover, the task force refuted claims propagated by Chinese sources that Filipinos had fallen overboard and required rescuing by the Chinese Coast Guard, labeling such reports as disinformation. Additional provocations were noted with Chinese military aircraft launching flares near Zamora Reef and harassing a Philippine maritime domain awareness flight conducted by the BFAR, further illustrating the escalating tensions in the area.
Despite these challenges, the crew of the BRP Datu Sanday remains safe and maintains high morale, determined to continue their missions in support of local fishermen under the assertion of rights granted by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 Arbitral Award.