Chinese harassment sa West PH Sea, nangyayari araw-araw-DFA

Chinese harassment sa West PH Sea, nangyayari araw-araw-DFA

February 21, 2023 @ 9:57 AM 1 month ago


MANILA, Philippines – ARAW-araw na nangyayari ang pangha-haras ng Beijing sa West Philippine Sea (WPS).

Kaya ang panawagan ni Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo sa international community ay tumulong na pagtibayin ang pangangailangan para sa rules-based order.

“On a day-to-day basis, there are still many events occurring in the South China Sea, and there are daily incidents — at least as far as we see it — of cases of harassment or land reclamation, which in many cases have been depriving the Philippines of the use of our exclusive economic zone (EEZ),” ayon kay Manalo sa isinagawang Munich Security Conference sa Germany, araw ng Sabado.

Kamakailan lamang ay tinutukan ng Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) ng military grade laser ang barko ng Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) sa Ayungin Shoal.

Samantala sa nasabi pa ring komperensiya, binanggit ni Manalo ang 2016 arbitral ruling sa The Hague, nagpatibay sa “sovereign rights and jurisdiction” ng PIlipinas sa EEZ nito at nagsabi na walang legal na basehan ang “nine-dash line” claim ng Beijing sa South China Sea.

“We have held to this position consistently and we will continue to do so,” ayon kay Manalo.

Hinikayat din niya ang ibang bansa na tumulong na tiyakin na ang ikinikilos at aksyon ng China at ibang bansa sa pinagtatalunang lugar ay alinsunod sa international rules.

“The United Nations could help amplify awareness on the issue by holding dialogues and debates, such as on upholding the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),” ayon sa DFA.

“I think discussions like that would help create greater awareness of the importance of UNCLOS and also of maintaining a rules-based order so that any disputes or conflicts are settled through the rule of law and through peaceful means,” ang wika ni Manalo.

Samantala, nilinaw naman ni Manalo na habang ipinagtatanggol ng Pilipinas ang teritoryo nito, napagkasunduan nito sa China na ang pinagtatalunang katubigan ay “not going to be the sum total” ng kanilang bilateral relationship.

“It’s a very complex situation,” ayon kay Manalo sabay sabing “The Philippines…and other countries in the region have very strong links with China in the economic and cultural front, so that creates greater, more complexity to the situation.” Kris Jose