MANILA – The Japanese Embassy in Manila on Tuesday expressed “serious concerns” over the most recent developments within the South China Sea, the latest of which concerned a Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessel harassing a Filipino ship by pointing a military-grade laser at it close to Ayungin Shoal.
In a tweet accompanied by the hyperlink to the Department of Foreign Affairs’ (DFA) assertion condemning the CCG transfer, Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Kazuhiko Koshikawa known as on all states to respect the worldwide regulation of the ocean.
“We express serious concerns about dangerous behavior against (Philippines) vessels,” he mentioned. “All states should respect maritime order based on international law, in particular UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea), and recall that 2016 Arbitral Award is final and legally binding. We firmly oppose any action that increase tensions.”
Last week, Marcos and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida additionally expressed considerations concerning the scenario within the East and South China Sea and reaffirmed the necessity to “reinforce maritime domain awareness and maritime law enforcement” within the area.
In a Feb. 9 joint assertion after their summit assembly, each leaders “strongly opposed the actions including force or coercion that may increase tensions.”
READ: DFA, US, Australia protest ‘provocative’ China laser-pointing
The newest incident prompted the DFA to file a diplomatic protest towards China on Feb. 14, with the United States and Australia becoming a member of in to precise concern.
On the identical day, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. summoned Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian.
China continues to put declare on the Ayungin Shoal, additionally known as the Second Thomas Shoal, which is situated 105 nautical miles off Palawan.
In 2016, Manila’s rights over the Ayungin have been affirmed by a minimum of the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration, which declared the characteristic as “within the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and continental shelf of the Philippines.”
Under the UNCLOS, a coastal state has the “sovereign rights” to discover and exploit, in addition to preserve and handle each residing and non-living assets inside its 200-nautical mile EEZ. (PNA)