PH accuses China of WPS ‘landfill activities’
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has accused China of violating existing agreements on disputed waters over its alleged continued reclamation activities in unoccupied areas of the South China Sea. did.
The DFA issued a statement Tuesday night following a Bloomberg report, saying China is building some unused land in the South China Sea, with new landforms appearing on the water in Eldad over the past year. quoted Western officials as saying. Coral reef north of Spratly.
The DFA said it was “severely concerned that such activities violate the 2016 Declaration of Conduct on Self-restraint and Arbitration Awards in the South China Sea.”
The agency said it had already asked relevant Philippine agencies to “verify and verify the content of this report.”
By unilaterally claiming the historic nine-dash line, China claims the entire South China Sea as part of its territory. However, a 2016 arbitration award rejected that claim and ruled that the Philippines has sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, the West Philippine Sea.
This ruling has been repeatedly ignored by China, including conducting various reclamation activities and deploying a fleet.
On Dec. 12, the Philippines lodged a diplomatic protest with China after the Chinese coastguard forcibly removed rocket wreckage recovered off the Paguaça Islands from the Philippine Navy.
Recently, the Pentagon also expressed “great concern” because Chinese vessels are believed to have warmed some of the features of the Western Philippine Sea.
China and the Chinese embassy in Manila made no comment on the incident until the United States, which considers the Philippines an ally, issued a statement urging China to respect international law.
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