Philippines criticizes China’s “unjustified, illegal and reckless” actions over disputed Scarborough Shoal reef

MANILA:

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Sunday condemned the Chinese air force’s actions in the South China Sea waters claimed by both countries, calling the actions “unjustified, illegal and reckless.”

Manila and Beijing accused each other on Saturday of halting military operations around Scarborough Shoal, in the first incident since Marcos took office in 2022 in which the Philippines has complained of dangerous actions by Chinese aircraft, as opposed to navy ships. or the coast guard.

The Philippine military on Saturday condemned “dangerous and provocative actions” when two Chinese aircraft dropped flares into the path of a Philippine aircraft during a routine patrol around the sandbar on Thursday.

The Chinese military’s Southern Theater Command responded that the Philippines had halted its training, accusing Manila of “illegally intruding” into Chinese airspace.

On Sunday, Marcos urged China to act responsibly both on the seas and in the skies.

“We have barely begun to calm the waters and it is already worrying that there could be instability in our airspace,” Marcos said in a statement published by the Presidential Communications Office on the X social media platform.

The Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday.

The Scarborough Shoal is one of Asia’s most contested maritime features and a flashpoint for conflicts over sovereignty and fishing rights.

Beijing claims nearly all of the South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 billion in annual maritime trade, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.

China rejects a 2016 ruling by the Hague Permanent Court of Arbitration that Beijing’s expansive claims had no basis in international law.

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