Philippines tells China: Withdraw vessels, stop ‘illegal, dangerous actions’ in West PH Sea

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines’ National Maritime Council (NMC) on Thursday, April 2, called on Beijing to pull out its ships in the West Philippine Sea and order them to “cease and desist from illegal, provocative and dangerous actions against Philippine vessels” following near-weekly incidents of Chinese vessels harassing Philippine government ships in March.

“The Philippines will undertake appropriate diplomatic actions and engage existing bilateral dialogue mechanisms towards addressing these incidents and concerns. The country also reiterates its call on China to withdraw and direct its vessels and maritime assets to cease and desist from illegal, provocative and dangerous actions against Philippine vessels, and to stop activities that violate Philippine sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction; and to comply with its obligations under international law,” said the NMC, an inter-agency body creative to set the country’s maritime policy. 

The NMC listed the following as “unlawful acts endanger lives, violate international law, and undermine regional peace and stability” by Chinese maritime forces, including the China Coast Guard, the People’s Liberation Army Navy, and the Chinese Maritime Militia: 

• March 7: A PLAN vessel directed its fire-control radar at BRP Miguel Malvar near Escoda Shoal during a lawful patrol, an act constituting a threat of force.
• March 17: Filipino fisherfolk at Bajo de Masinloc were harassed by Chinese vessels through dangerous maneuvers, sirens, and RHIB deployment, interfering with their lawful fishing activities.
• March 20: A Philippine Coast Guard aircraft conducting a routine maritime patrol over the Kalayaan Island Group was met with flares near Panganiban Reef, endangering aviation safety. Also, on the same day, a BFAR vessel was subjected to a dangerous maneuver by a CCG vessel at Paredes Reef (Discovery Great Reef).
• March 26: A Philippine navy vessel avoided collision after a PLAN vessel executed an unsafe maneuver near Pag-asa Island, in violation of COLREGs (Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea).

“These incidents occurred in areas where the Philippines has sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction,” said the NMC. 

“Philippine operations in these areas are lawful and consistent with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 Arbitral Award. On the other hand, the activities of China in these areas are inconsistent with international law and the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC),” it added. 

Escoda Shoal is a low-tide elevation that’s within the Philippine exclusive economic zone, an area where the Philippines should have the exclusive right to exploit and care for maritime resources. Foreign vessels have the right to pass through and stay inside another country’s EEZ, so long as they exercise “due regard” and don’t trample on the sovereign rights of that country. 

Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal, meanwhile, is a high-tide elevation that China has controlled access to since 2012. According to the 2016 Arbitral Award, which Beijing does not recognize, Filipino, Chinese and Vietnamese fisherfolk should still have access to the shoal since it’s a traditional fishing ground. Beijing, according to reports from Philippine government agencies and the accounts of fisherfolk themselves, drive away fishing expeditions as far as 30 nautical miles away from the shoal. 

Panganiban Reef is within the Philippine EEZ but has been under Chinese control since 1995, when it first claimed that they were only constructing a fisherman’s shelter. It has sinced been turned  into a full military outpost by Beijing — an act the Arbitral Tribunal deemed unlawful. Paredes Reef has been under Vietnamese control since 1988, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative. 

Pag-asa Island, meanwhile, is the largest of the Kalayaan Group of Islands where a permanent civilian population of Filipinos reside. It is located beyond the Philippines’ EEZ, is also claimed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam. The Philippines took possession of Pag-asa in 1974, under the regime of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s father and namesake, the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos.   

‘Reset’ of ties

From March 27 and 28, representatives from the Philippines and China met in Quanzhou for back-to-back Foreign Ministry Consultations and Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea meetings. It was the first FMC since 2023 and the first BCM since January 2025. During those meetings, the two countries touched on “practical measures that are consistent with Philippine law and policy to increase confidence in the maritime domain,” including “initial exchanges on potential oil and gas cooperation.” 

Marcos has said Manila was seeking a “reset” in bilateral ties with Beijing after years of strained ties primarily because of China’s harassment in the West Philippine Sea. Beijing has routinely accused Manila of being the provocator when Philippine agencies turned to transparency to expose Chinese actions in those waters.  

The Philippines has sought to improve bilateral ties since the start of 2026, or just as it took over chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and led efforts to conclude the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea between the bloc and Beijing. – Rappler.com