NSC: New rules part of China’s ‘scare tactics’

THE National Security Council (NSC) yesterday said Philippines will not succumb to China’s scare tactics, adding Filipinos will continue to sail and fish in the West Philippine Sea despite Beijing’s reported impending implementation of new regulations that will authorize its coast guard to detain foreigners crossing its borders, including in the South China Sea.

In a press briefing, NSC Assistant Director General and National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea spokesman Jonathan Malaya urged Filipino fishermen to continue fishing in the disputed area, assuring them of government protection.

Malaya said the new Chinese regulations are against international law, specifically the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the United Nations charter.

He said China has no sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea and “therefore has no right to arrest, detain or expel any person” from the area.

“These regulations cannot apply to the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of coastal states like Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia or the Philippines or any country for that matter,” he said.

Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam, and the Philippines are claiming parts of the South China Sea while China is claiming almost the entire sea.

The new regulations, which were reportedly adopted on May 15 and set to take effect on June 15, was announced last week by the South China Morning Post. No statement has been released by the Chinese Embassy in Manila.

Malaya noted that the 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration nullified China’s excessive claim in the South China Sea, and recognized the Philippines’ rights to its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone provided under UNCLOS.

Malaya said the new regulation is “nothing more than part of China’s scare tactics to intimidate and coerce its ASEAN neighbors.”

“It’s provocative, escalatory and increases the tension in the South China Sea. The Philippines will not be intimidated or coerced by the Chinese Coast Guard. We will never succumb to this scare tactics,” he said.

“The Philippines will continue to sail and fish in these waters and we call on all maritime states particularly our neighbors like Vietnam,