China has accused the Philippines of illegal activities in the South China Sea after Philippine ships entered waters near China’s Zhubi Jiao and Tiexian Jiao reefs on Wednesday without approval.
According to Liu Dejun, spokesperson for the China Coast Guard (CCG), two Philippine official ships illegally entered the waters, and some personnel unlawfully landed on Tiexian Jiao. The CCG says it took “professional, standard, reasonable, and legal” measures against the ships.
However, one of the Philippine ships allegedly ignored multiple warnings and dangerously approached a CCG vessel, resulting in a collision between the two ships. Liu stated that the Philippines is “fully responsible” for the incident.
“China holds indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Qundao and the adjacent waters,” Liu said. “We urge the Philippine side to immediately cease such violations.”
The CCG affirmed its commitment to continue law enforcement activities to safeguard China’s sovereignty and rights in waters under its jurisdiction.
The South China Sea is a strategically vital waterway, and tensions have been high between China and neighboring countries over territorial claims.
