Nat’l security adviser condemns latest China water cannon attack

National Security Adviser Eduardo Año on Thursday condemned what he called China’s “aggressive and illegal” use of water cannons and its sudden live-fire warning near Bajo de Masinloc. (Philippine Daily Inquirer / Gabryelle Dumalag)

MANILA, Philippines—National Security Adviser Eduardo Año on Thursday condemned what he called China’s “aggressive and illegal” use of water cannons and its sudden live-fire warning near Bajo de Masinloc, saying the actions endangered Filipino crewmen and appeared to be part of a new intimidation tactic.

“We really condemn this another abrasive action of China … for again doing this water cannon against our BFAR vessel and actually sort of trapping our vessel out of the shoal vicinity,” Año told reporters in Makati City. 

He added that China carried out an “aggressive, illegal act” that the Philippines condemns and urged Beijing to stop.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on Wednesday that the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel BRP Datu Gumbay Piang was targeted by China Coast Guard ship 5201 on Tuesday morning, which blasted the vessel with water cannons for nearly 30 minutes, shattering windows and disabling electrical systems.

The incident occurred during a government resupply mission over the weekend near Scarborough Shoal (Bajo de Masinloc), where more than 10 Philippine government ships, including 10 BFAR vessels, two PCG ships, and one civilian vessel under the Department of Agriculture’s Kadiwa program, escorted over 40 Filipino fishing boats.

Año also sounded the alarm over a surprise radio broadcast announcing a “live fire” exercise near the shoal’s entrance, an area within the Philippine exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Año said no explosions were heard and suggested the announcement was likely a scare tactic.

 “This is the first time that this kind of ploy was done by the PRC … and it does actually put a lot of risk and danger to the lives of our fishermen and our BFAR vessels,” he said.

Año warned that the use of live-fire threats, if repeated, could escalate tensions and risk loss of lives.

“We will not play to their narrative. This is what they want, for us to overreact, and then they can have the justification to use their People’s Liberation Army and turn the narrative around against us,” Año said.

He added that the Philippines would continue to assert its presence in the area but would do so peacefully, guided by international law and the 2016 arbitral award that upheld Manila’s sovereign rights over Bajo de Masinloc.

‘Pretext for an actual occupation’

Moreover, Año said China’s declaration of a “nature reserve” in Scarborough Shoal could serve as a pretext for actual occupation of the disputed area, which Manila insists is part of Philippine territory.

Año said building structures or stationing personnel at the shoal would amount to illegal occupation.

Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2016 arbitral ruling, any construction on disputed features within another country’s exclusive economic zone infringes on its sovereign rights.

“That pronouncement is … a prelude or a pretext for an actual occupation because you know building a structure there will be manned by people,” Año said.

“So therefore there will be people occupying it. And that is actually banned.”

He warned that any move to permanently station personnel at Bajo de Masinloc would amount to an illegal occupation, which Manila will oppose.

Beijing announced on Sept. 10 that the State Council of China had approved the establishment of the so-called “Huangyan Island National Nature Reserve” at the shoal, which has been the scene of frequent showdowns between Chinese and Philippine vessels.

“We will not allow that,” Año said, reiterating that Philippine government vessels would continue to patrol the area as ordered by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

The shoal, a traditional fishing ground for Filipino fisherfolk, has been under effective Chinese control since 2012, but Año said the Philippines remains committed to defending its sovereign rights peacefully and through diplomatic means.

Bajo de Masinloc, about 229 kilometers (124 nautical miles) off Zambales, lies within the country’s 370-kilometer (200-nautical-mile) EEZ under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. /gsg