The Department of Foreign Affairs yesterday branded as “illegal” the presence of Chinese vessels near and around Pag-asa Islands, which it said are part of the Kalayaan Group of Islands and an integral part of the Philippines over which it has sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction.
This is the first time that the DFA has openly objected to aggressive Chinese activities in the disputed waters of the South China Sea or the West Philippine Sea under the three-year-old administration of President Duterte.
“Accordingly, the presence of Chinese vessels near and around Pag-asa and other maritime features in the KIG is illegal. Such actions are a clear violation of Philippine sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction, as defined under international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” said the DFA in a statement issued by the office of acting Assistant Secretary for Strategic Communications Emmanuel Fernandez.
The DFA said that it has been observed that Chinese vessels have been present “in large numbers and for sustained and recurring periods.”
It pointed out that such action is what is commonly referred to as “swarming” tactics that raise questions about their intent as well as “concerns over their role in support of coercive objectives.”
When not repudiated by the Chinese government, the DFA said such actions are “deemed to have been adopted by it.” (Roy Mabasa)
