When will China start respecting global rules?

The Philippines issued a statement on Sunday saying a Chinese Coast Guard ship carried out 'dangerous blocking maneuvers' that caused it to collide with a Philippine vessel carrying supplies to troops stationed in Ayungin Shoal. In a statement, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) said the 'dangerous blocking maneuvers of China Coast Guard vessel 5203 caused it to collide with the Armed Forces of the Philippines-contracted indigenous resupply boat' about 25 kilometers from Ayungin Shoal.

The China Coast Guard also issued a terse statement on Sunday saying it had blocked Philippine vessels from 'delivering illegal construction materials to the illegally grounded warship...in accordance with the law.' It was not clear what law the Chinese Coast Guard was referring to, but China's state-run broadcaster CCTV said the Philippine Coast Guard vessel had 'ignored multiple clear warnings' and 'deliberately stirred up trouble and reversed in a premeditated manner,' leading to a 'slight collision.'

Ambassadors of the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, Germany, The Netherlands, and the European Union immediately reacted to the incident. The US and Canada issued strongly worded statements condemning the Chinese Coast Guard and maritime militia vessels for the incident. (Read the BusinessMirror report, 'Chinese Coast Guard claims PHL resupply vessel blocked them,' October 22, 2023).

'The United States condemns PRC's latest disruption of a legal Philippine resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal, putting the lives of Filipino service members at risk. We stand with our #FriendsPartnersAllies in protecting Philippine sovereignty and in support of a #FreeAndOpenIndoPacific,' US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson posted on X.

Canadian Ambassador David Hartman said China's actions 'are unjustified.'

'China has no lawful claim to the West Philippine Sea. Its actions are incompatible with the obligations of a signatory to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea,' Hartman said in a statement.

Japanese Ambassador Koshikawa Kazuhiko said he is 'seriously concerned and alarmed over the collision incident. Japan strongly opposes any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion. We stand with/by PHL's position; upholding maritime order based on UNCLOS and 2016 Arbitral Award,' Ambassador Koshikawa added.

Japan, Germany, and Canada cited the need to respect the 2016 Arbitral decision that invalidated China's nine-dash line claim...