Philippines' Marcos says China 'misinterpreted' his comments on Taiwan
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Monday that Beijing has "misinterpreted" his comments saying Manila will be inevitably drawn in to a conflict between China and Taiwan should one erupt.
China accused Marcos of "playing with fire" after the Philippine leader said during a visit to India that "there is no way that the Philippines can stay out of it" due to its proximity to the democratically governed island.
"We are, I think for propaganda purposes, misinterpreted," Marcos told a press briefing.
"I'm a little bit perplexed why it would be characterised as such, as playing with fire," he added.
Marcos said Filipinos working and living in Taiwan will have to be evacuated if a conflict does arise but maintained that he wishes to avoid confrontation and war.
Over a hundred thousand Filipinos live and work in Taiwan, according to Philippine government data.
"War over Taiwan will drag the Philippines kicking and screaming into the conflict. That is what I was trying to say," Marcos said.
Marcos' comments come at a time of heightened tensions between Manila and Beijing over territorial disputes in the South China Sea, a strategic waterway where the two countries have had a series of maritime run-ins over the past years.
On Monday, a Philippine vessel transporting provisions to Filipino fishermen in the Scarborough Shoal was sprayed at with a water cannon by a Chinese coast guard ship, the Philippine Coast Guard said. The vessel managed to evade being hit.
China's embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the president's remarks.
Responding to the Monday incident, China's coast guard said it had taken necessary measures to expel Philippine vessels from Scarborough Shoal, which China claims as its own territory.
It described the operation as "professional, standardized, legitimate and legal".
A 2016 ruling of an international arbitral tribunal voided Beijing's sweeping claims in the region, saying they had no basis under international law, a decision China rejects.
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Chinese vessels collide while pursuing Philippine boat in South China Sea: Manila
A Chinese navy vessel collided with one from its own coast guard while chasing a Philippines patrol boat in the South China Sea on Monday, Manila said, releasing dramatic video footage of the confrontation.
The incident occurred near the contested Scarborough Shoal as the Philippine coast guard escorted boats distributing aid to fishermen in the area, spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela said in a statement.
Video released by Manila showed a China Coast Guard ship and a much larger vessel bearing the number 164 on its hull colliding with a loud crash.
"The (China Coast Guard vessel) CCG 3104, which was chasing the (Filipino coast guard vessel) BRP Suluan at high speed, performed a risky manoeuvre from the (Philippine) vessel's starboard quarter, leading to the impact with the PLA (People's Liberation Army) Navy warship," Tarriela said.
"This resulted in substantial damage to the CCG vessel's forecastle, rendering it unseaworthy," he said.
Gan Yu, a Chinese coast guard spokesperson, confirmed that a Monday confrontation had taken place without mentioning the collision.
"The China Coast Guard took necessary measures in accordance with the law, including monitoring, pressing from the outside, blocking and controlling the Philippine vessels to drive them away," he said in a statement.
The reported collision is the latest in a series of confrontations between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost entirely despite an international ruling that the assertion has no legal basis.
More than 60 percent of global maritime trade passes through the disputed waterway.
Speaking at a morning news conference, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos said the country's patrol vessels would "continue to be present" in the area to defend, as well as exercise Manila's sovereign rights over, what it considers to be part of its territory.
The Scarborough Shoal -- a triangular chain of reefs and rocks -- has been a flashpoint between the countries since China seized it from the Philippines in 2012.
It was unclear if anyone was hurt in Monday's incident.
Tarriela told AFP the Chinese crew "never responded" to the Filipino ship's offer of assistance.
Earlier in the confrontation, the BRP Suluan was "targeted with a water cannon" by the Chinese but "successfully" evaded it, Tarriela's statement said.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Monday that Beijing has "misinterpreted" his comments saying Manila will be inevitably drawn in to a conflict between China and Taiwan should one erupt.
China accused Marcos of "playing with fire" after the Philippine leader said during a visit to India that "there is no way that the Philippines can stay out of it" due to its proximity to the democratically governed island.
"We are, I think for propaganda purposes, misinterpreted," Marcos told a press briefing.
"I'm a little bit perplexed why it would be characterised as such, as playing with fire," he added.
Marcos said Filipinos working and living in Taiwan will have to be evacuated if a conflict does arise but maintained that he wishes to avoid confrontation and war.
Over a hundred thousand Filipinos live and work in Taiwan, according to Philippine government data.
"War over Taiwan will drag the Philippines kicking and screaming into the conflict. That is what I was trying to say," Marcos said.
Marcos' comments come at a time of heightened tensions between Manila and Beijing over territorial disputes in the South China Sea, a strategic waterway where the two countries have had a series of maritime run-ins over the past years.
On Monday, a Philippine vessel transporting provisions to Filipino fishermen in the Scarborough Shoal was sprayed at with a water cannon by a Chinese coast guard ship, the Philippine Coast Guard said. The vessel managed to evade being hit.
China's embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the president's remarks.
Responding to the Monday incident, China's coast guard said it had taken necessary measures to expel Philippine vessels from Scarborough Shoal, which China claims as its own territory.
It described the operation as "professional, standardized, legitimate and legal".
A 2016 ruling of an international arbitral tribunal voided Beijing's sweeping claims in the region, saying they had no basis under international law, a decision China rejects.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Chinese vessels collide while pursuing Philippine boat in South China Sea: Manila
A Chinese navy vessel collided with one from its own coast guard while chasing a Philippines patrol boat in the South China Sea on Monday, Manila said, releasing dramatic video footage of the confrontation.
The incident occurred near the contested Scarborough Shoal as the Philippine coast guard escorted boats distributing aid to fishermen in the area, spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela said in a statement.
Video released by Manila showed a China Coast Guard ship and a much larger vessel bearing the number 164 on its hull colliding with a loud crash.
"The (China Coast Guard vessel) CCG 3104, which was chasing the (Filipino coast guard vessel) BRP Suluan at high speed, performed a risky manoeuvre from the (Philippine) vessel's starboard quarter, leading to the impact with the PLA (People's Liberation Army) Navy warship," Tarriela said.
"This resulted in substantial damage to the CCG vessel's forecastle, rendering it unseaworthy," he said.
Gan Yu, a Chinese coast guard spokesperson, confirmed that a Monday confrontation had taken place without mentioning the collision.
"The China Coast Guard took necessary measures in accordance with the law, including monitoring, pressing from the outside, blocking and controlling the Philippine vessels to drive them away," he said in a statement.
The reported collision is the latest in a series of confrontations between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost entirely despite an international ruling that the assertion has no legal basis.
More than 60 percent of global maritime trade passes through the disputed waterway.
Speaking at a morning news conference, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos said the country's patrol vessels would "continue to be present" in the area to defend, as well as exercise Manila's sovereign rights over, what it considers to be part of its territory.
The Scarborough Shoal -- a triangular chain of reefs and rocks -- has been a flashpoint between the countries since China seized it from the Philippines in 2012.
It was unclear if anyone was hurt in Monday's incident.
Tarriela told AFP the Chinese crew "never responded" to the Filipino ship's offer of assistance.
Earlier in the confrontation, the BRP Suluan was "targeted with a water cannon" by the Chinese but "successfully" evaded it, Tarriela's statement said.
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