MANILA, Aug 26 (Reuters) – The Philippine government on Monday condemned China's “repeated aggressive, unprofessional and illegal” actions in the South China Sea following a series of air and naval clashes and incidents over the past week.
The Philippines' National Maritime Council said Chinese aircraft engaged in dangerous behaviour towards civilian aircraft patrolling the airspace above Scarborough and Subi reefs.
Chinese authorities also said on Sunday that Chinese vessels had “interfered, rammed and sprayed water at” a government fishing boat on a resupply mission to Philippine fishermen at Sabina Reef.
In a statement, the Maritime Council said the actions were “alarming”.
“This casts doubt on China's commitment to de-escalating the situation in the region and creating a favorable environment for dialogue and consultation,” the council said.
The Philippines added that it would continue diplomacy in managing maritime issues and called on China to “return to the path of constructive dialogue” on the South China Sea issue.
Philippine Defense Minister Gilberto Teodoro separately said Monday that China's actions were “clearly unlawful” following the clash near Sabina Reef.
“This is a struggle and we have to expect these actions from China. As I have said many times, we have to expect and be prepared to get used to these actions from China which are clearly illegal,” Teodoro told reporters.
In Sunday's incident at Sabina Reef, Manila's South China Sea Task Force accused the Chinese vessel of ramming and spraying water at a Philippine fishing boat that was transporting food, fuel and medicine for Filipino fishermen.
China's coast guard said the Philippine ship “ignored repeated and stern warnings and deliberately approached and rammed into a Chinese law enforcement vessel,” leading to the collision.
On Monday, another incident occurred in the same shallow waters, forcing two Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessels to abort a mission to deliver supplies to the crew of another Coast Guard vessel on extended patrol in Sabina Island.
China deployed “excessive force” of 40 vessels, including three naval warships, to disrupt the supply operations, the China Coast Guard said in a statement late on Monday.
But the China Coast Guard said it had taken “control measures” against two PCG vessels that had “illegally entered” the waters around Sabina Island and then approached China Coast Guard vessels in a “dangerous manner,” causing trouble.
The Chinese call Sabina Reef Xianbin Reef and the Philippine call it Escoda Reef. The atoll is located 150 kilometers (93 miles) off the western Philippine island of Palawan.
Asked whether Sunday's incident triggered treaty obligations between the United States and the Philippines, Teodoro said: “That's putting the cart before the horse. Let's deter armed attacks. That's more important.”
The Philippines and the United States have a mutual defense treaty, and the United States has pledged to support the Philippines against armed attacks on Philippine ships or soldiers in the South China Sea.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, including areas claimed by the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Brunei.
An international arbitration court ruled in 2016 that China's claims had no basis in international law, but Beijing rejected the ruling.
China's Ministry of State Security said in a statement on Tuesday that China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea have ample historical and legal basis.
“China has shown great restraint and patience in relevant disputes and has always been committed to properly handling China-Philippines maritime disputes through dialogue and consultation,” the statement said.
“The Philippine side should immediately stop the infringement, provocation, slander and fanfare of (China's) rights, or the Philippine side will bear all the consequences arising therefrom.”
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Reporting by Mikhail Flores; Additional reporting by Liz Lee and Bernard Orr in Beijing; Editing by John Mair, Michael Perry and Bernadette Baum
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