The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines has rejected the Department of Foreign Affairs’ (DFA) statement questioning China’s maritime claims and the conduct of a Chinese research vessel in waters off Batanes.
In a statement Friday, October 2, the embassy said it “firmly rejects” the DFA’s position and maintained that China has sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the waters where the Chinese scientific research vessel was operating.
“China reiterates that, in accordance with international law, including UNCLOS, China has sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the relevant waters,” the embassy said.
The statement came after the DFA rejected China’s assertion of sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the waters off Batanes, where the Chinese research vessel Jia Hai Ke 7 was monitored operating about 37 to 38 nautical miles northwest of Itbayat. The Philippine government said the area is within the country’s exclusive economic zone and that the research activity was not authorized by Manila.
China, however, argued that the Philippines and China have overlapping maritime claims in the area and cited Articles 74 and 83 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), as well as what it described as bilateral consensus, in calling for the issue to be addressed through negotiations.
The Chinese Embassy also accused a Philippine Coast Guard vessel of “harass[ing]” the Chinese research vessel while it was conducting what Beijing described as normal operations.
The embassy claimed that the Philippine vessel’s actions infringed on China’s “sovereign rights and jurisdiction,” violated international law and endangered the safety of the Chinese vessel and its personnel.
“China has taken, and will continue to take necessary measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests,” the embassy said.
The embassy further called on Manila to “immediately cease provocative interference” with China’s scientific research activities and urged the Philippines to return to dialogue and consultation in managing their maritime differences.
The DFA, for its part, has maintained that the Philippine Coast Guard’s actions were lawful and that the Chinese vessel was operating within the Philippines’ EEZ without Manila’s consent.
