The Philippine foreign ministry on Thursday said it would coordinate with China to address reports of a recent confrontation between the Chinese Coast Guard and Filipino fishermen in the South China Sea.
Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesperson Robe Bolivar said Chinese Coast Guard speedboats surrounded fishermen from the town of Mariveles in Bataan and fired warning shots near Jiuzhang Reef.
The DFA said it was verifying the report with Philippine security agencies. “With the current positive momentum in Philippine-China relations, we have mechanisms in place where the Philippines can raise such issues,” Bolivar said.
Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Eduardo Año said he was informed of similar recent events. One of the incidents involved fishermen from the northern La Union Province, which is far from disputed waters.
According to The Manila Times, a local newspaper, the armed forces chief found it strange that fishermen from that province would be in the area in question.
Photo by Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The incident in the vicinity of Jiuzhang Reef involving fishermen from Mariveles still needs to be validated, Año said.
“We are still verifying where it exactly happened,” Año said on Thursday and reiterated that a military response would be the “last recourse”.
"Before any military action, military response, that’s the last recourse. What I am saying is investigation has to be conducted [first] by the law enforcement agency particularly the Philippine Coast Guard,” he said.
The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), chaired by the Philippines this year, is working on a framework for a Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang on Thursday said a draft of the document is expected to be completed within the first half of the year.
This code would supersede the existing Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC).
“China will continue working with ASEAN countries including the Philippines to further promote the comprehensive and effective implementation of the DOC and endeavor to reach the COC by consensus at an early date.” Lu Kang said during a regular press conference on April 20.
Within the scope of the DOC, ASEAN and China are working to advance consultations on the COC and maritime practical cooperation.
Two rounds of consultations have been held on a draft framework for the COC since the start of this year and relevant work is moving forward smoothly, according to Lu Kang.
Jiuzhang Reef is a large drowned atoll in the center of Nansha Islands in the South China Sea, which are an inherent part of China's territory, and are under effective jurisdiction of the Chinese government.
