MADRID– The Philippine Coast Guard reported this Saturday that has discovered remains of corals that would have been destroyed by Chinese ships in a new attempt to claim disputed areas in the Sea of China Meridional.
The remains of corals have been located on the Escoda/Sabina terrace. “Which country in the South China Sea is destroying the marine environment? It’s only China. Who can we point to? Only China,” said a spokesman for the Philippine Coast Guard, Jay Tarriela, according to Philippine television ABS-CBN. .
The Philippines already reported similar incidents precisely in this same area last September, when dozens of Chinese Maritime Militia ships entered the area.
In addition, the Philippines reported the dispatch of the ship ‘BRP Teresa Magbanua’ following reports of an attempt by China to build a new artificial island in the area. It is a 97-meter long vessel of the Philippine Coast Guard.
China and the Philippines have seen an increase in incidents over the past year in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, especially around Second Thomas Atoll and Masinloc Shoal.
Other countries such as Brunei, China, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam also claim sovereignty in some areas of these disputed waters.
They demand to expel Chinese diplomats due to territorial dispute
A senior Philippine security official last Friday demanded the immediate expulsion of Chinese diplomats, arguing that they are allegedly behind the leak of a telephone conversation between one of the diplomats and a Philippine admiral about the disputes in the Sea of China Meridionalwhich have strained diplomatic relations.
National Security Advisor Eduardo Año said he supported the call by the Philippine defense chief of the Manila Foreign Office to take action against elements of the Chinese embassy in Manila “who claim to have recorded an alleged telephone conversation between a diplomat Chinese and a military officer,” in violation of Philippine laws and international diplomatic protocols.
Two Manila newspapers cited a Chinese embassy source as saying that in a recorded call with a Chinese diplomat in January, a Filipino admiral agreed on a new way to transport supplies to a Philippine-occupied sandbar in the disputed waters. It required Manila to notify Beijing of such overseas missions, and promise that no construction materials would be taken.
“Those members of the Chinese embassy responsible for violating Philippine laws and the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, and responsible for such malign influence and interference operations, must be expelled from the country immediately,” Año said in a strongly worded statement. .
“The Chinese embassy’s repeated acts of interference and propagation of disinformation, misinformation and misinformation, now with the publication of spurious transcripts or recordings of alleged conversations between host country officials, must not go unsanctioned or without serious penalty,” Year said.
At the moment, it is not clear from Año’s statement whether the Philippine authorities have verified the news or if the telephone conversation really occurred. The Department of Foreign Affairs did not indicate whether it will take into account Año’s appeal.
Source: EUROPA PRESS / AP
