Philippines Considers Revisiting Agreement with China Following Clash between Coast Guard Ships
Philippines National Maritime Council (NMC) spokesman retired Vice Adm. Alexander Lopez stated on Tuesday that the Philippines may submit another diplomatic protest to Beijing after Chinese coast guard vessels “rammed“ into a Philippine coast guard ship near the Escoda Shoal, while also contemplating expanding its recent agreement with China in the area.
Tensions have been escalating between the Philippines and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the South China Sea, with the collision incident happening just 10 days after Chinese Air Force planes dropped flares in front of Philippine Air Force planes on patrol.
Philippine officials conducted a press briefing on Tuesday after releasing footage of the collision of the coast guard vessels on Monday.
Lopez criticized the actions of the Chinese military as “ridiculous.”
“There is a code of conduct among seafarers, the principle behind it is to ensure safety among vessels of the high seas,” he said during the question-and-answer portion of the televised conference. “But what happened is [the Chinese coast guard] went to [the] extreme of putting a vessel at risk. Coast guard ensure the safety of life and property at sea, and yet they are the ones doing it.”
The Philippines aims to resolve the issue diplomatically and peacefully, considering filing another diplomatic protest once more information becomes available from the coast guard.
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