The U.S. government on Monday showed its support for the Philippines after the Philippine Coast Guard reported that one of its ships had been targeted by a laser from a Chinese vessel, behavior that Washington has described as «provocative».
«The United States stands with our Philippine allies in the face of the reported use of laser devices by the People’s Republic (of China) Coast Guard against the crew of a Philippine Coast Guard vessel on February 6 in the South China Sea,» reads a U.S. State Department statement.
In this regard, Washington has indicated that it stands behind its Philippine allies «in upholding the rules-based international maritime order,» in reference to a 2016 ruling that held that Beijing has no right over the Ayungin Sandbank, also known as Second Thomas Shoal, in the disputed Spratly Islands–known in the Philippines as Kalayaan–.
Thus, the State Department has assured that in the event of an armed attack against the Philippine Armed Forces it would «invoke the mutual defense of the United States», under the protection of the reciprocal defense treaty between Manila and Washington signed in 1951.
U.S. diplomatic spokesman Ned Price called the conduct of the Chinese authorities «provocative and unsafe» as it «caused temporary blindness of crew members» while «interfering with the lawful operations» of the Philippine Coast Guard.
«More broadly, the PRC’s dangerous operational behavior directly threatens regional peace and stability, infringes on the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea guaranteed by international law, and undermines the rules-based international order,» Price has said, as the missive reads.
For its part, the Philippine military has argued that the Chinese government should «restrain its forces» from committing «provocative acts that endanger lives,» as reported by the Inquirer.
Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that its coast guard only «defended China’s sovereignty and maritime order, acting in a professional and moderate manner».
«We hope the Philippine side will respect China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea and avoid taking actions that may exacerbate disputes and complicate the situation,» he said, according to a statement from his ministry, before adding that China and the Philippines are dealing with this incident through diplomatic channels.
Manila claimed Monday that one of its ships was targeted this month by a powerful military-style laser from a Chinese coast guard vessel, allegedly endangering the crew of the targeted vessel.
The incident reportedly took place on February 6 in the waters of the South China Sea, whose sovereignty is the subject of recurring disputes between several countries in the region. The Philippine authorities have claimed that one of their ships was illuminated by a powerful green light activated at a distance of less than eight kilometers, which temporarily blinded the crew members.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
