MANILA, Philippines (AP) – An angry Filipino defense chief renewed a request on Saturday for dozens of Chinese ships to leave a reef claimed by Manila in the South China Sea, and said he would not be fooled by Chinese claims that the ships were taking shelter from the bad weather.
The Chinese embassy responded to what it called the “perplexed statement” by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and insisted that the vessels had the right to take shelter in what they said was Chinese territory. “No one has the right to make arbitrary comments about such activities,” he said.
The unusually hostile public exchange resulted from the sighting at the beginning of last month by the Philippine coast guard of more than 200 Chinese vessels, which Lorenzana called “militias”, in Recife Whitsun. The Philippines filed a diplomatic protest, saying that the reef, which he calls Julian Felipe, is within an internationally recognized offshore zone, where he has the exclusive right to explore fisheries, oil, gas and other resources.
China ignored Manila’s demand for Chinese ships to leave the area, which it calls Niu’e Jiao and claims as Chinese territory. The Chinese embassy in Manila said the ships were taking shelter on the reef against rough sea conditions.
“The Chinese ambassador has a lot to explain,” said Lorenzana in a statement on Saturday, adding that the latest Philippine military surveillance showed that 44 Chinese ships were still moored on the reef.
“I am not an idiot. The weather has been good so far, so they have no other reason to stay there. These vessels must be leaving. You should get out of there, ”said Lorenzana on Saturday.
The Chinese embassy responded again, repeating that the ships were protecting themselves in what they called Chinese waters.
“It is completely normal for Chinese fishing vessels to fish in the waters and take shelter near the reef during rough sea conditions,” said the embassy.
“We hope that the authorities involved will make constructive efforts and avoid any unprofessional comments that may stimulate even more irrational emotions,” said the embassy. He added that “China is committed to safeguarding peace and stability in the waters”.
Whitsun Reef is located in Spratlys, the most disputed region of the South China Sea. The Philippines considers the chain of islands, islets and resource-rich atolls to be part of its western province of Palawan. But the offshore region is also claimed totally or partially by China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei. China has transformed seven disputed reefs into island bases protected by missiles in recent years, adding to tensions.
The United States expressed support for the Philippines, its former ally in the treaty, and accused China of using “maritime militias to intimidate, provoke and threaten other nations, which undermines peace and security in the region”. Beijing has denied that the vessels are part of a maritime militia.
Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte has cultivated friendly ties with Beijing since taking office in 2016 and has been criticized for not immediately demanding Chinese compliance with an international arbitration decision that invalidated Beijing’s historic claims across virtually the entire China Sea. Southern. China refused to acknowledge the 2016 decision, which it called “a scam”, and continues to challenge it.