TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Wednesday (June 19) condemned the seizure of Philippine navy boats by the Chinese coast guard earlier in the week.
The ministry said that on June 15, provisions of the China Coast Guard Law went into effect that authorized the Chinese coast guard to “board, inspect, and detain foreign vessels and persons suspected of violating exit and entry management procedures in waters that China considers to be under its jurisdiction.”
On Monday (June 17), MOFA said the first maritime conflict after the new regulations took effect broke out between a Chinese coast guard ship and a Philippine supply ship near the Renai Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal) in the South China Sea.
Chinese coast guard personnel on multiple patrol boats surrounded and impounded two Philippine rubber boats that were sending supplies to the grounded ship the BRP Sierra Madre on the shoal. The Armed Forces of the Philippines described the subsequent Chinese coast guard behavior as “an act of piracy,” including “physical attacks, the use of bladed weapons, the constant blaring of sirens to create disorientation, and the deployment of blinding strobe lights to impair the vision and coordination of the Filipino soldiers.”
MOFA called on both sides to resolve disputes peacefully and refrain from using force to avoid exacerbating regional tensions. The ministry emphasized that freedom of navigation in the South China Sea is crucial for regional peace and stability and of great concern to the international community.
“Taiwan opposes any unilateral attempts or actions to alter the status quo by force, as well as the increasing gray zone activities and military coercion in the South China Sea,” said MOFA. It added that these actions are detrimental to regional peace and stability and undermine the international maritime order based on international law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
MOFA added that Taiwan will continue to work with regional allies and like-minded countries to safeguard a free and open Indo-Pacific.