28 Apr , 02:53
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China Protests: Filipinos Land on Disputed Reef in South China Sea
Chinese authorities have recorded an unauthorized landing of Filipino citizens on the disputed Tesian reef (also known as Sandy Cay) in the Nansha archipelago, causing diplomatic tension between the countries.
As reported by TUT.AZ with reference to TASS, an official representative of the China Coast Guard Administration (CCG) Liu Dejun made a sharp statement on this matter.
"On April 27, six Filipino citizens illegally landed on Tesian reef, despite warnings from the Chinese side," he said on the official CCG page on the social network WeChat.
It is specified that Chinese maritime police officers "lawfully conducted an investigation on this reef." The statement emphasizes that Beijing "possesses indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and adjacent waters, including Tesian reef."
"The actions of the Philippine side are an encroachment on China's territorial sovereignty, they violate the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, undermining peace and stability," emphasized Liu Dejun. "We insist that the Philippines immediately cease these violations."
According to him, the CCG will continue to carry out human rights and law enforcement activities in the waters that China considers its own.
The PRC has been engaged in disputes with some countries for several decades regarding the ownership of certain areas in the South China Sea, where significant hydrocarbon reserves have been discovered on the shelf. This concerns the Paracel Islands (Xisha), the Nansha archipelago (Spratly), as well as the Huangyan reef (Scarborough) - these disputes involve Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
