THE Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has accused the Chinese defense ministry of bullying after it threatened to apply “stronger countermeasures” against the PCG and Filipino fishermen if they continue venturing in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) in the South China Sea.
“Such statements coming from the Ministry of Defense are clear evidence of bullying,” said Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesman for the WPS, in a statement on Saturday night.
Last Friday, Chinese defense ministry spokesperson Wu Qian said the Philippines, with the support of United States, has been “stirring up troubles” in the South China Sea.
Wu said “such repeated provocations have allowed the international community to see clearly who is undermining peace and stability in the South China Sea, and who is fabricating and spreading lies.”
“Wherever they go, whether transiting or re-supplying, the Philippine ships always have a full deck of reporters. The real issue, however, is never about who has more reporters, but who has more legitimacy,” said Wu.
Wu made the statement in response to a query about China’s recent “aggressive actions” against Philippine vessels in the WPS.
“The Philippine side knows this fact very well. China’s position is clear and consistent: more provocations lead to stronger countermeasures; should the Philippine side stubbornly follow the wrong path, China will never back down,” said Wu.
Tarriela said such statement from China “aims to suppress the patriotic spirit of Filipino fishermen from accessing our exclusive economic zone and to intimidate the Philippine government into withdrawing its humanitarian support for its own fishermen.”
“Beijing is escalating its rhetoric by instructing its defense ministry to issue warnings about using stronger countermeasures if our Filipino fishermen and Philippine Coast Guard vessels venture into the West Philippine Sea,” he added.
Tarriela said China’s “lies and misinformation” have been consistent.
First, they repeatedly assert that the United States supports our presence without providing any evidence of US involvement,” he said.
Also, Tarriela said China has been accusing the Philippines of provoking tension when it is the Chinese who are the “true aggressors” of smaller PCG vessels which are doing humanitarian missions and protecting Filipino fishermen.
He also said China’s claims “over the waters of Bajo De Masinloc, Escoda Shoal, Rozul Reef, and Sandy Cays are built on falsehoods that you (China) want the world to accept as truth.”
