MANILA – The Philippine armed forces today said it is investigating a report that Chinese military boats pursued a civilian vessel carrying Filipino journalists in the disputed South China Sea.
A television crew from Philippine broadcaster ABS-CBN was travelling to Second Thomas Shoal in the contested Spratly Islands yesterday when their vessel was allegedly chased by a Chinese coast guard boat and two attack craft.
Tensions over the resource-rich waters have spiked in recent weeks after hundreds of Chinese vessels were detected at Whitsun Reef, which is also in the Spratly archipelago.
China, which claims almost the entirety of the sea, has refused repeated appeals by the Philippines to withdraw the vessels, which Manila said unlawfully entered its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
“The (armed forces) express concern over a report on alleged harassment by Chinese navy vessels and a Chinese coast guard vessel, as reported by a team of journalist(s) on board a watercraft within our EEZ,” said armed forces spokesman Maj Gen Edgard Arevalo.
‘Through the (armed forces’) Western Command, we are conducting an investigation and verification to establish what transpired.”
ABS-CBN said the vessel carrying its TV crew was asked by a Chinese coast guard boat to identify itself.
The Filipino boat turned around and the Chinese vessel gave chase, it said.
“CCG 5101 slowed down and turned away after an hour to the relief of the Filipino crew, who, by this time, had been following a straight path back to mainland Palawan,” it said, referring to a western Philippine island.
“However, two smaller, faster vessels emerged in the horizon, apparently giving chase to the Filipino boat.
“Within minutes, the unique shape and design of the Houbei Type 22 missile fast-attack craft became visible. The two missile-capable boats resumed the chase.”
Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin – whose department recently vowed to lodge a daily diplomatic protest until China withdraws its vessels from Philippine waters – said the report is “worrisome”.
“It seems – please verify – ABS-CBN crew weren’t in a boat they hired (inviting risk) but in a passenger boat,” he tweeted.
“Now that’s a whole other banana; the state is sworn to protect the Philippine public. And you don’t give chase; you use your bullhorn to warn off.”
In a phone call today, Locsin and his United States counterpart, Antony Blinken, expressed concern over the presence of Chinese “maritime militia vessels in the South China Sea, including at Whitsun Reef”, according to a US State Department readout.
The US reminded China on Wednesday of Washington’s treaty obligations to the Philippines in the event of an attack in the waters.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian today said the US should “stop sowing discord” and allow regional countries to settle “their differences between themselves”. – AFP, April 9, 2021
