The Australian government has condemned the repeated aggressive actions of the Chinese military towards their Philippine counterpart in the South China Sea.
“Australia shares the Philippines’ condemnation of this destabilising and unacceptable conduct,” said Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
“It poses serious risks of harm to crew, and undermines recent commitments to de-escalate tensions in the South China Sea.”
The DFAT’s statement comes in response to a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel ramming into the Philippine Coast Guard’s (PCG) largest ship, Teresa Magbanua, at Sabina Shoal, or what China calls Xianbin Jiao, on Aug. 31.
This marks the fifth maritime confrontation between the two countries at the disputed territory in a month.
The Philippine ship, which has been at Sabina Shoal since April, sustained damage but no crew was harmed.
Manila said the Chinese Coast Guard vessel “deliberately rammed and collided with the BRP Teresa Magbanua three times, despite no provocation from the Philippine Coast Guard.”
The Chinese Communist Party, however, blamed the Philippines for the incident and claimed that the Philippine ship was “illegally” staying in a Chinese territory.
Meanwhile, Australia urged China to stop their actions and uphold the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
“Australia calls for restraint and reiterates that the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award is final and legally binding on the parties,” DFAT said.
New Zealand’s embassy in Manila also expressed concern at the Chinese military’s actions and called for compliance with UNCLOS.
“This latest incident, with a CCG vessel ramming a Philippine vessel, is profoundly troubling and fits a recent pattern of dangerous and destabilising actions in the region,” it said in a statement.
Ambassadors from other countries, including the United States, the UK, and Japan, condemned Beijing’s actions while standing by their Philippine ally.
While the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said that Beijing is ready to maintain dialogue with the Philippines through diplomatic channels, she also called on the Philippines to withdraw its vessels from the territory.
However, the Chinese military has appeared to ramp up its aggression in the region in both the sea and air.
The Philippine Navy said it spotted 203 Chinese ships in the South China Sea from Aug. 27 to Sept. 2, higher than the 163 vessels seen from Aug. 20 to Aug. 26.
On Aug. 19, a Chinese fighter jet was also seen performing dangerous manoeuvers and deploying flares multiple times near a Philippine aircraft.
