The Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS), Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, has warned that incidents of confrontation could recur if China’s “illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive” (ICAD) actions continue.
According to the PH Navy official, since the illegal presence of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy began, their illegal and aggressive actions have been a cause and source of concern.
Therefore, he said, as China continues to engage in illegal activities and presence, it is not impossible that the incident that occurred on Monday, August 11, in which a Chinese Navy warship collided with a China Coast Guard vessel while pursuing a PCG vessel, the BRP Suluan, near Scarborough Shoal, which was supposed to deliver supplies to Filipino fishermen, could happen again.
According to Rear Admiral Trinidad, this is not the first time that a PLA-N warship has intervened in the harassment of Philippine vessels in the WPS. It also conducted that he said that Chinese warships of the PLA-N have been intrusive and aggressive actions in the WPS for the past 20 years or so.
Despite this, the PH Navy official said that all actions of the Armed Forces of the Philippines have always been in compliance with international law, and he hoped that this would serve as a warning to all players in the maritime domain to refrain and ensure that their actions are in line with the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Collision regulations, etc. to avoid maritime encounters.
