The US has condemned China’s “escalatory” actions in the South China Sea and is urging Beijing to refrain from any dangerous and destabilizing behavior, said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller on Saturday, commenting on the collision between Chinese and Philippine vessels.
According to the US government‘s account, a Chinese coast guard ship intentionally rammed a Philippine coast guard vessel three times in the South China Sea, putting the safety of the crew on board at risk.
“The United States supports its ally, the Philippines, and condemns China’s dangerous and escalatory actions against the Philippine Navy’s legitimate maritime operations in the South China Sea on August 31,” Miller said in a statement.
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In Washington, officials are calling on China to “align its territorial claims with international law and refrain from dangerous and destabilizing behavior”.
“China’s unlawful claims to “territorial sovereignty” over ocean areas without land territory, and its increasingly aggressive actions, threaten the freedom of navigation and overflight of all countries,” the State Department noted.
A territorial dispute has been ongoing between China and the Philippines, as well as other regional countries, over the Spratly Islands (Nansha) in the South China Sea.
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These islands are valuable due to their rich biological resources, strategic location at the crossroads of Indian and Pacific Ocean shipping lanes, and potential oil and gas reserves.
China’s claims in the South China Sea were marked on a map with nine dashed lines (also known as the “cow’s tongue line”) in 1946. In 2016, a Hague tribunal ruled Beijing’s claims invalid and upheld the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. Beijing did not participate in the court proceedings.
The situation in the South China Sea region is often complicated by the passage of US warships, which, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, violate international law, undermine China’s sovereignty and security. Despite Beijing’s protests, the US has stated that it will sail wherever international law permits.
