China and Vietnam capable to handle law enforcement conflict in S.China Sea properly; Philippines’ intention to stigmatize China ‘won’t work’
China Coast Guard personnel inspect a Vietnamese boat that illegally entered waters near China's Xisha Islands on September 29, 2024.
Photos and information exclusively obtained by the Global Times on Saturday show that Chinese authorities' interception, boarding, inspection and expulsion of a Vietnamese boat which illegally entered waters near China's Xisha Islands on September 29 were conducted with restraint and in full accordance with the law. The Vietnamese government previously accused China of "brutal behavior" on the matter, which has been taken as an opportunity of the Philippines to hype its own claims in the South China Sea and draw Vietnam to its side against China.
Chinese Foreign Ministry was quoted by Reuters on Tuesday as saying that "Vietnamese fishing boats" illegally fished in the relevant waters of China's Xisha Islands on September 29 without the permission of the Chinese government and that relevant Chinese authorities took measures to stop them.
The on-site operations were professional and restrained, and no injuries were found, the ministry stressed.
The Vietnamese foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that Chinese law enforcers beat the Vietnamese fishermen and took away their fishing equipment when their boat was operating near "Hoang Sa," Vietnam's name for China's Xisha Islands.
According to a source close to the matter, the Vietnamese vessels illegally intruded the Xisha islands at the night of September 29. The China Coast Guard law enforcement vessels then sounded its horn as a warning and required the Vietnamese vessel to accept inspection, but the latter refused to cooperate.
China Coast Guard personnel inspect a Vietnamese boat that illegally entered waters near China's Xisha Islands on September 29, 2024.
A Vietnamese boat illegally enters waters near China's Xisha Islands on September 29, 2024.
Photos obtained by the Global Times show that several individuals aboard the Vietnamese vessel held long bamboo poles to prevent Chinese law enforcement personnel from boarding the ship. During the inspection, the helmets of two of Chinese law enforcement support personnel were broken by a long bamboo pole, and one person sustained a cut on their hand.
Chinese law enforcement personnel presented their credentials to the fishermen on the vessel, indicating their identities and intentions, and requested them to comply, the source stated.
After the inspection, the Chinese law enforcement personnel seized the illegal catch of the Vietnamese vessel, informed the fishermen of the consequences of resisting law enforcement and illegally fishing in China's territorial waters, and expelled them to 12 nautical miles outside China's waters, according to the source.
China Coast Guard personnel inspect a Vietnamese boat that illegally entered waters near China's Xisha Islands on September 29, 2024.
Photos have showed clearly that the Chinese law enforcement personnel are very restrained and professional, Yang Xiao, deputy director of the Institute of Maritime Strategy Studies, China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times on Saturday.
"It is clear that the incident was caused by the fact that some Vietnamese fishermen were fishing illegally and resisting law enforcement. Additionally, China has constantly maintained communication and exchanged views with the Vietnamese authorities. China and Vietnam have the capability of handling this incident appropriately," Chen Xidi, China Institute For Marine Affairs, Ministry of Natural Resources, told the Global Times.
While the issue is gradually blowing over, Philippine National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano issued a statement on Friday and accused Chinese maritime law enforcement authorities of carrying out "unjustified assault" on Vietnamese fishermen.
He also attempted to elevate the issue to an "international" level, claiming that the "use of force against civilians blatantly violates international law."
"We stand with Vietnam in denouncing this egregious act and calling for accountability," he said.
The Philippines has nothing to do with this incident. The Philippine National Security Adviser is just trying to hyping the issue to sell its own claims in the South China Sea region, Yang stressed.
The Philippine statement tries to expand the issue to an international level, but, after all, it is just an occasional conflict between Chinese authorities and Vietnamese fishing men during law enforcement process and has been settled via diplomatic channel according to territorial jurisdiction principles. "It is totally untenable to stir it up to an international level," Yang said.
Chen echoed Yang, saying that "While China and Vietnam have demonstrated their willingness to actively manage disagreements and avoid escalation, the Philippines, driven by a desire to stir up trouble, has been stigmatizing China's law enforcement as 'violent and illegal actions' in the South China Sea." But "it won't work," Chen stressed.
"The Philippines attempted to vilify China's lawful deterrence on illegal fishing as 'proof' of China's bullying of its neighboring countries. Furthermore, it hypocritically declares that it has consistently condemned the use of force, aggression, and intimidation in the South China Sea, while demanding that all parties 'exercise genuine self-restraint. It obviously overlooks the Philippines' own history of persistent provocations and escalations, notably at Ren'ai Jiao and Xianbin Jiao, among other locations," Chen noted.
It is evident that the Philippines is not genuinely striving to safeguard the safety of fishermen at sea in this incident, nor is it actively working to uphold peace and stability in the South China Sea. Instead, it appears intent on sowing discord between China, Vietnam, and other countries, thereby undermining the positive cooperative relationships between China and other ASEAN countries, Chen said.
The Philippines has been conducting constant, blatant provocations in the South China Sea this year. In August the intensity has been reinforced.
Discussing "unjustified assault" during law enforcement operations, the Philippines should reflect on its own actions before making allegations against others, an expert on maritime security told the Global Times.
In September 2019, eight officials from the Filipino coast guard were sentenced to jail terms of up to 14 years and ordered to pay for damages for conspiring to shoot and kill a fisherman from China's Taiwan island in 2013.
"The Philippines is not in any position to make indiscreet remarks or criticisms of others on this issue," the expert noted.
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