Beijing (The Brussels Morning Newspaper) – China urged the European Union to be “objective and fair” and cautious with words and actions on problems in the South China Sea after the bloc commented on an incident that occurred over the weekend.
China expressed it was “strongly dissatisfied” with the European Union’s “accusations” against it on the matter, a statement by the Chinese mission to the EU offered. The European Union is not a party to the South China Sea problem and has no right to point fingers on the issue,” it stated.
It also expressed the EU’s repeated “hyping up” on the freedom of navigation issue “has no usefulness to the EU’s interests and international credibility.”
How do China and the Philippines’ maritime disputes escalate?
China and the Philippines swapped accusations of intentionally ramming coast guard ships in disputed waters of the South China Sea, the latest in an escalating series of conflicts. The collision near the Sabina Shoal was their fifth maritime conflict in a month in a longstanding rivalry over the vital waterway.
How has the EU responded to recent maritime conflicts?
The EU stated in a statement that it criticised the “dangerous actions by China Coast Guard vessels against lawful Philippine maritime operations” in the sea. In the report, the European Union External Action Service said the recent happenings between Chinese and Philippines authorities “endanger the safety of life at sea, and break the right to freedom of navigation and overflight to which all nations are permitted under international law.”
How does the South China Sea dispute affect global maritime trade?
In recent months, ties between China and the Philippines have been marked by multiple incidents in the waters of the South China Sea, a basin through which more than 60 per cent of world maritime trade passes, around 5.300 trillion dollars of goods per year, and 65 per cent of China’s foreign trade. Beijing argues almost all of it based on the so-called “nine-dash line”, which since the XNUMXs has determined the portion of sea that China considers under its sovereignty. Countering China’s claims are Taiwan and all the coastal countries: Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and the Philippines.
