Beijing recently lambasted Germany for siding with Manila and interfering in what they say is an issue best settled by the two Asian nations.
China set its sights on another non-ASEAN nation for supposedly meddling in the maritime disputes in the region.
Besides the Philippines, China also has maritime disputes with Vietnam, Brunei, and Malaysia as well as non-Association of Southeast Nations states such as Taiwan and Japan.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said last week that “no non-regional country has the right to interfere in the maritime disputes between China and the Philippines.”
Ning’s statement came in the wake of German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock saying that China’s dangerous actions against the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) were of concern to Europe.
Ning also said that China’s position on the South China Sea (SCS) had been “clear and consistent.”
Baerbock was in Manila last week where she held a press conference with Foreign Affairs Sec. Enrique Manalo. There, she said: “The incidents over the recent months where the Chinese Coast Guard used lasers and water cannons against Philippine resupply vessels, and even the collisions that happened, are of concern to us in Europe even if it is thousands of kilometers away.”
She also said that Europe was concerned about how freedom of navigation enshrined in international law – relative to where the SCS or WPS is concerned – is affecting other nations.
Baerbock said Germany also backed the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea as well as the 2016 arbitral ruling that upheld the Philippines’ sovereignty, even as it invalidated China’s sweeping maritime claims.
Ning further stated that China was “committed to properly handling disputes through dialogue and consultation with countries concerned and would like to work with ASEAN countries to safeguard peace and stability in the region. That being said, China will firmly safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.”
She also stated that China’s stand is that the SCS dispute must be resolved by her country and the Philippines alone.
The Chinese embassy in Manila also commented on Baerbock’s statement that Beijing was disrupting the rules-based order and freedom of navigation in the SCS.
An embassy spokesperson said: “Disregarding basic facts, the German side made unwarranted accusation about China’s South China Sea policy and legitimate and lawful actions.”
Much of the international community has been supportive of the Philippines, especially after Manila took Beijing to the International Court of Arbitration to determine who rightfully owns the West Philippine Sea. This was during the tail end of President Benigno Aquino lll’s administration.
The court ruled in favor of the Philippines but China rejected the decision, insisting that the entire South China Sea was their territory by virtue of a “nine dash line” allegedly found in old maps.
Former president Rodrigo Duterte preferred to side with China in most matters regarding the maritime conflict.
This, despite the Philippines claiming what it calls the West Philippine Sea within the country’s internationally recognized exclusive economic zone.
The China Coast Guard has been taking progressively more aggressive action against Philippine vessels allegedly intruding in their area but kept at a safe distance last week when a joint US-Philippine patrol over the area sailed in the WPS. The Philippines has also been working on having more joint patrols over the area with the navies of other nations, such as Japan, Australia, and even India.
