Philippines rejects China’s objections to South China Sea activities

Multiple countries, including China and the Philippines, hold claims in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.

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The Philippines said on Thursday that China has no right to object to or interfere with its lawful and routine activities in the South China Sea, amid renewed tensions between the two countries in the disputed waterway.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said it “rejects and refutes” recent claims by the Chinese embassy in Manila that Beijing has “indisputable sovereignty” over the Spratly Islands.

“We urge China to respect the Philippines' sovereignty and jurisdiction, even as we continue to pursue peaceful and legal means to manage differences and the situation at sea,” foreign ministry spokesperson Teresita Daza said in a statement.

The Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and China each claim and maintain a presence on various features in the Spratly archipelago — a cluster of reefs, rocks, and islands, both natural and artificial, located in the South China Sea.

China has built several artificial islands in the area, complete with runways, radar installations, ports and missile systems.

Last week, Manila and Beijing traded accusations following a confrontation between their vessels near a disputed reef.

The Philippines' Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources said lives were endangered when the Chinese coast guard fired water cannons and sideswiped a civilian research boat conducting marine studies.

China said two Philippine vessels had "illegally entered" waters near Subi Reef — one of its artificial islands — and accused the Philippines of landing personnel on the nearby unoccupied sandbars of Sandy Cay.

“The Philippines is clearly within its rights to conduct routine maritime operations and scientific research in and around these features, and will continue to do so,” Daza said. “China has no right to object, much less interfere with these lawful and routine activities.”

China claims nearly the entire South China Sea, including areas within the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

A 2016 ruling by an international arbitral tribunal in The Hague said China's expansive claims have no legal basis under international law.

The Chinese embassy in Manila said on Monday that Philippine forces had carried out 27 “unauthorised landings” on disputed features since January, in violation of a 2002 agreement with Southeast Asian countries to avoid escalating tensions.