Philippines Condemns China's "Unjustified, Illegal, Reckless" Actions Over Disputed Reef

Boston Brand Media reported on a trending incident where, on Sunday, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. condemned the Chinese air force's actions in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, calling them "unjustified, illegal, and reckless." The situation escalated on Saturday as both Manila and Beijing accused each other of disrupting military operations around the Scarborough Shoal. This incident marks the first time since Marcos took office in 2022 that the Philippines has protested against aggressive actions by Chinese aircraft rather than naval or coast guard vessels. The Philippine military criticized the "dangerous and provocative actions" of two Chinese aircraft that dropped flares in the path of a Philippine aircraft during a routine patrol near the shoal on Thursday.

The Chinese military's Southern Theatre Command responded by accusing the Philippines of disrupting its training exercises and "illegally intruding" into Chinese airspace. On Sunday, President Marcos urged China to exercise responsibility in both maritime and aerial activities. He expressed concern over the potential instability in the region, stating, "We have hardly started to calm the waters, and it is already worrying that there could be instability in our airspace," in a statement posted by the Presidential Communications Office on the social media platform X.

The Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately provide a comment on the situation. The Scarborough Shoal, one of Asia's most contested maritime regions, remains a hotspot for conflicts over sovereignty and fishing rights. China claims nearly the entire South China Sea, a crucial waterway for over $3 trillion in annual trade, which overlaps with areas claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.

China has rejected a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, which determined that Beijing's expansive claims in the South China Sea have no basis under international law.

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Source: NDTV