Japan is voicing serious concern over the recent developments in the South China Sea after an incident involving the China Coast Guard and a Philippine supply vessel last week, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said on Monday.
Last week, the Philippine armed forces said the China Coast Guard had used water cannons against a Philippine supply vessel. On Sunday, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian called on Manila to stop violations and provocations near the Second Thomas Shoal, also known as Ren’ai Jiao.
“Japan reiterates serious concern over repeated actions which obstruct freedom of navigation and increase regional tensions including recent dangerous actions that resulted in damage to the Filipino vessel and injuries to Filipinos onboard,” the Japanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The situation in the South China Sea is “directly related to the peace and stability of the region” and “thus Japan opposes any unilateral attempts to change the status quo,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, the Chinese Embassy in Manila lodged a representation with the Philippine Foreign Ministry on Monday over the “recent illegal trespassing by Philippine resupply vessels into waters adjacent to Ren’ai Jiao.”
“The Embassy stressed that Ren’ai Jiao is part of China’s Nansha Qundao. China has indisputable sovereignty over Nansha Qundao, including Ren’ai Jiao, and their adjacent waters,” the embassy said in a statement.
The territorial affiliation of a number of islands and reefs in the South China Sea, including the Philippine-controlled Second Thomas Shoal, has been the subject of disputes between China, the Philippines and several other Asia-Pacific countries for decades.
In July 2016, following a lawsuit filed by the Philippines, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that China has no grounds for territorial claims in the South China Sea. The court ruled that the islands were not disputed territory and did do not constitute an exclusive economic zone, but Beijing refused to recognize or accept the ruling.
