The latest acts of Chinese aggression in the South China Sea undermine peace and stability in the region, the United States said yesterday.
Australia and Japan also released statements on the China Coast Guard’s blocking and firing water cannons at Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessels on a resupply mission near Ayungin Shoal on Saturday.
After the incident, the US Department of State yesterday said that “such actions by China are inconsistent with international law and are the latest in repeated threats to status quo in the South China Sea, directly threatening regional peace and stability.”
“The United States reaffirms an armed attack on Philippine public vessels, aircraft, and armed forces — including those of its Coast Guard in the South China Sea — would invoke US mutual defense commitments under Article IV of the 1951 US Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty,” the State Department said in a statement.
“Totally unacceptable any harassment & actions which infringe on lawful activities of the sea and endanger the navigational safety,” Ambassador of Japan Kazuhiko Koshikawa posted on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
“Australia is concerned by the latest actions directed against the Philippines, which are dangerous and destabilising,” Australian Ambassador Hae Kyong Yu also wrote on X.
Source : Philstar