Tension in the South Sea: Philippines urges Chinese regime to “respect international law”

Ferdinand Marcos Jr., President of the Philippines (EFE/EPA/Francis R. Malasig)

The Philippine government assured in Prague on Thursday that it wants peace in the South China Sea to plead strongly For Xi Jinping regime In the area “Respect international law”.Key to global maritime trade.

“We want to maintain peace in the East China Sea”The President of the Philippines declared, ferdinand marcos jrAt a press conference after meeting with his Czech counterpart, Petr Pavel.

Peace in the region, according to the Philippine head of state, “is in the interest of the safe operation of ships carrying out international commercial exchanges.”

China “must respect international law,” Marcos said, pointing to Beijing’s annexation of several enclaves in the region, which he believes lack legal backing.

On the other hand, The President acknowledged the need to modernize his country’s armed forcesHe said he argued with Powell on the matter.

“The Czech Republic has always been and is an important partner in the region,” Markos said.

A Chinese coast guard ship approaches the Philippine ship Unaiza on May 4 after a skirmish near Ayungin Atoll in the disputed South China Sea (AP/Aaron Favila)

The Philippine President paid an official visit to Prague on Tuesday after meeting with the German Chancellor in Berlin. Olaf ScholzThe meeting also focused on tensions between Manila and Beijing over sovereignty over several atoll islands in the South China Sea.

These are areas that are mostly less than 200 miles from the western Philippine coast, a limit established by the United Nations in a convention to determine the maritime sovereignty of states, which China acceded to in 1996.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague determined that China’s claim to the disputed islands had no legal basis, proving manila rightSomething that Beijing refuses to comply with and which has generated several skirmishes between Chinese and Filipino vessels in the area.

Czech Republic “is completely in favor of the Philippines “Regarding their demand for freedom of movement of goods as well as maritime transport in the South China Sea,” Powell announced at a press conference.

The Czech president said his country, which maintains tense diplomatic relations with Beijing after launching high-level institutional contacts with Taiwan, wants to deepen its economic, security and working ties with the Philippines.

For its part, amid rising tensions in the Pacific region, 18 Chinese military aircraft crossed the center line of the Taiwan StraitThe figure, reported this Thursday by the island’s Ministry of National Defense (MDN), is the highest so far this year.

Protests in the Philippines against Beijing’s sovereignty ambitions in the South China Sea (EFE/EPA/Francis R. Malasig)

The operation, conducted between 6am local time on Wednesday (22 GMT on Tuesday) and 6am on Thursday (22 GMT on Wednesday), took place north, south-west and east of the self-declared Taiwanese Air Identification Zone (ADIZ) . mentioned the portfolio in its latest daily report.

The figure is the highest since November 2, when 20 Chinese aircraft crossed the center line of the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial border respected by Taipei and Beijing for decades.

In total, 26 aircraft (including J-10 fighters, Y-8 transport aircraft and drones) and ten Chinese warships were detected in the vicinity of Taiwan between 6:00 am Wednesday and 6:00 am this Thursday, according to the report. walked. MDN Newspaper.

“The Armed Forces of the Republic of China (Taiwan) have monitored the situation and They have used fighter aircraft, naval ships and coastal missile systems In response to the above activities,” the ministry said in a statement.

On 29th February, The Chinese regime denies the existence of a “middle line” dividing the Taiwan StraitClaiming that “there is only one China in the world” and “Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory”, a position the island’s executive has repeatedly rejected.

(with information from EFE)

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