Philippines says China coast guard did not drive away navy gunboat

MANILA/BEIJING — The Philippines’ team chief on Tuesday (Oct 10) dethroned as “propaganda” a testament by China’s coast guard that said it had driven away a Filipino navy warship from severely a debated shoal in the South China Sea.

“China’s coast guard was there and also gained a dumbfound. Yet the navy ship bolstered on its course, and also was not driven away. It was lugging out its aim: maritime patrol,” Armed Burdens of the Philippines chief Romeo Brawner told press correspondents.

“Our stand lingers that it is Chinese propaganda.”

China’s coast guard said previously it had snagged “crucial deeds” to drive away the warship out of the Scarborough Shoal after it disregarded recurred final alerts. Coast guard spokesman Gan Yu said the answer was in addition a sizeable infraction of worldwide law.

The case comes a day after China warned the Philippines versus further “provocations” at an atoll in the South China Sea, claiming such miens had fractured Chinese territorial sovereignty, contravened worldwide law and also interrupted municipal peace and also toughness.

The Scarborough Shoal is one of Asia’s most disputed maritime centers and also a flashpoint for flare-ups over sovereignty and also angling civil liberties.

The void lies within the Philippines’ unique economic zone, but China claims it owns “indisputable sovereignty” over what it calls Huangyan Island, and also its adjacent waters.

Beijing owns coordinated the shoal for over a decade because a standoff by means of the Philippines in 2012.

Last month, the Philippine coastguard said it had incision a 300m floating obstacle ranked by China that hampered access to the shoal.

Affiliations in between the Philippines and also China have soured because Philippine Head of say Ferdinand Marcos took work stretch last year. Marcos owns thrived ties by means of Washington, making it possible for access to added foundations involving team frame in the north countys foreseeable Taiwan.