Philippines denounces China's 'dangerous' and 'inhumane' actions against Filipino fishermen

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MANILA: Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro on Tuesday (Dec 16) denounced what he described as "dangerous" and "inhumane" actions by Chinese maritime forces against Filipino fishermen in a contested South China Sea shoal last week.

Three Filipino fishermen were injured and two fishing vessels damaged when Chinese coast guard ships used water cannon and cut their anchor lines near Sabina Shoal on Friday, Manila's coast guard said over the weekend.

"Water cannoning, aggressive manoeuvring, and the cutting of anchor lines resulting in physical injuries of Filipino civilians are wholly inconsistent with the duty of all States to ensure the safety of human lives," Teodoro said in a statement.

On Monday, China's foreign ministry said the measures taken were necessary to safeguard its territorial sovereignty, describing the actions as "reasonable, lawful, professional and restrained".

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Teodoro urged nations aspiring for regional leadership to act responsibly, and dismissed as "blatant lies" China's assertions that the fishermen brandished knives to threaten Chinese coast guard officers.

"We call on China to stop spreading false narratives and engaging in a state-orchestrated disinformation campaign," Teodoro said.

The Philippine foreign ministry said it has issued a demarche, or formal reprimand, to the Chinese Embassy in Manila on Monday. The Chinese Embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Teodoro's remarks.

Sabina Shoal, which China refers to as Xianbin Reef and the Philippines as the Escoda Shoal, lies in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone 150km west of Palawan province.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a waterway supporting more than US$3 trillion of annual commerce. The areas Beijing claims cut into the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

An international arbitral tribunal ruled in 2016 that Beijing's sweeping claims had no basis under international law, a decision China rejects.

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