ENCOUNTER The Chinese ships perform dangerous maneuvering, blocking and water cannon attacks against the Philippine vessels near Bajo de Masinloc in the West Philippine Sea on April 30, 2024. PCG PHOTO
The Chinese Embassy on Saturday claimed that an agreement had been reached between the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Western Command (AFP-Wescom) and China regarding a "new model" for the conduct of the two countries in the Ayungin Shoal.
According to the statement by the spokesperson of the Embassy of China in Manila, the “new model” was allegedly approved by officials in the Department of National Defense (DND) and the National Security Advisor in 2023.
This agreement was the product of China’s commitment to properly manage maritime differences “through dialogue and consultation with the Philippines,” the statement read.
“To follow up on the important consensus between the two heads-of-state to deescalate tension in the South China Sea, the Chinese side and the Philippine side through AFP WESCOM agreed on a ‘new model’ for the management of the situation at Ren'ai Jiao (Ayungin Shoal) early this year after multiple rounds of discussions,” it added.
The Chinese Embassy maintained that the "new model" serves as a confidence-building measure aimed at managing disputes, preventing conflicts and upholding peace, stressing that this agreement does not touch upon the sovereign positions of either country.
“During the discussion, the AFP-WESCOM has made repeated confirmation that the 'new model' has been approved by all key officials in the Philippine chain of command, including the Secretary of National Defense and the National Security Adviser. The communication and negotiation on this subject matter is kept on record in every detail by the Chinese side,” it said.
The Chinese Embassy said that the “new model” resulted in a “smooth” resupply mission last February, which the AFP spokesperson described as “flawless” in a social media post.
The embassy also pointed to a supposed meeting of the Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines with the DND on July 5, 2023 at Camp Aguinaldo, during which the ambassador and Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. exchanged views on China-Philippines military relations, and maritime issues, among other things.
“[During] the meeting, the Philippine side was briefed on the ‘gentlemen's agreement’ on the management of Renai Jiao. Readouts of the meeting were released respectively by the DND and the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines,” it said.
“The above are facts, not narratives or inventions. China is always committed to managing the situation at Ren'ai Jiao and maintaining dialogue and communication with the Philippines in a responsible manner,” it added, as it asked why the Philippine administration kept denying and resisting the previous agreements.
‘Temporary special arrangements’
On Friday, China said the Philippines violated the so-called “temporary special arrangements” on Scarborough Shoal or Panatag Shoal made in 2016 under the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
According to the statement by the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in Manila, the “temporary special arrangements made by Chinese side in 2016 stated that Filipino fishermen can fish with small boats in designated waters except the lagoon of Huangyan Dao (Panatag Shoal), while Philippine government vessels and aircraft should remain from entering the 12 nautical miles and corresponding air space of Huangyan Dao.”
“The incident on April 30th has nothing to do with the Filipino fishermen and their fishing activities in the Huangyan Dao area. Since the temporary special arrangements were agreed upon by China and the Philippines in 2016, fishing by Filipino fishermen in designated areas off Huangyan Dao was not an issue. Now the incumbent Philippine administration, out of its political agenda, hustles the fishfolks to the frontline of maritime disputes in the name of humanitarian assistance,” the statement read.
China has maintained that Panatag Shoal belongs to its territory and will take any necessary measures to defend its sovereignty.
“Huangyan Dao has always been China’s territory. China has indisputable sovereignty over Huangyan Dao and its adjacent waters. The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and BFAR (Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources) vessels entered waters off Huangyan Dao on the 30th of April without Chinese permission, which seriously infringed on China’s sovereignty,” the statement said.
“China Coast Guard (CCG) took necessary measures to expel them in accordance with the law. The operations on the ground were professional, rational, reasonable and legitimate. The Chinese side has lodged solemn representations both in Beijing and in Manila to the Philippine side demanding the Philippines to stop its provocation and infringement immediately,” it added.
On Tuesday, BRP Bagacay and BRP Bankaw encountered at least 10 Chinese vessels -- four CCG vessels and six Chinese maritime militia vessels -- during a routine mission to distribute food and other supplies to Filipino fisherfolk in the area.
The Chinese ships again performed dangerous maneuvering, blocking and water cannon attacks near Bajo de Masinloc in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
‘Beyond normal’ actions
The PCG insisted that all Chinese actions in the WPS are outright violations of international law.
Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson for the WPS, said maritime security scholars used to call China’s moves as grey zone tactics, or efforts to take control using coercive actions that are shy of armed conflict, but beyond normal diplomatic, economic and other activities.
"Ang contribution ng ating (The contributions of our) transparency strategy exposed Chinese illegal actions,” he said on the sidelines of the National Security Cluster Communications of the "Bagong Pilipinas" (New Philippines) media engagement and workshop at Philippine Merchant Marine Academy. "Because of our transparency strategy, the Philippine government is no longer considering this as grey zone strategy. We call this an outright violation of international law."
Tarriela said for so many years, China has bullied not just the Filipinos but even Vietnamese, Indonesian and Malaysian fishers in the South China Sea and tries to reclaim islands.
"For us, all of their actions that they are doing there are just basically unlawful actions and they are offenders of the international law."
When asked whether China Coast Guard ships deliberately trained their water cannons on the Philippine flag flying atop the mast of a PCG vessel, Tarriela said that based on their observation, it seems that the Chinese were “targeting the communications equipment of the Filipino craft.”
"We can probably say that (it) could be possible but the objective of the water cannoning nung nakaraang insidente noong (of the water cannoning incident on) April 30 is for them to terminate the mobility of the Coast Guard vessel and BFAR (Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources). And of course, we are relatively dependent sa ating (on our) communication equipment and navigation equipment," Tarriela said.
“The Philippine vessels encountered dangerous maneuvers and obstruction from four China Coast Guard vessels and six Chinese Maritime Militia vessels,” Tarriela said in a statement, referring to the harassment of a “legitimate patrol” near Scarborough Shoal, which is inside the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
The PCG ship sustained “damage to the railing and canopy” but no injuries were reported. With PNA
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