Philippines Protests China's Escalation Actions In Exclusive Economic Zone

The AW-159 Wildcat AL Philippine helicopter is above the BRP frigate Antonio Luna (FF-151). (Wikimedia Commons/BRP Antonio Luna FF151 - PF)

JAKARTA - The Philippines on Monday called on Beijing to stop "escalation measures" at South China Sea beting, saying protests had been filed over the presence of Chinese coast guard, militia and navy in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

The protests stemmed from the presence of two Chinese coast guard vessels on January 5 and January 10 in and around the disputed Beting Scarborough.

One of them is a 165 m (541 ft) long ship known by the Philippines as a "monster". It said Chinese naval helicopters were also deployed in the area.

"The escalation of Chinese ships and aircraft ignores Philippine and international law," said the Philippine national maritime council, an inter-institutional group tasked with upholding the interests of the country at sea.

"Childs must direct their ships to stop illegal acts that violate Philippine sovereign rights in their EEZs," the council said in a statement.

Separately, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a press conference his coast guard's "patrol and law enforcement activities" were "student, legitimate, and despicable".

"Childs urge the Philippines to stop its malicious propaganda," Guo said.

It is known that tensions between China and the Philippines have increased in the last two years, with frequent clashes between their coast guard in the South China Sea, which China claims as its sovereignty is almost entirely.

The statement comes hours after Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. made a virtual call with United States President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in which the three leaders discussed China's behavior in the South China Sea.

China's expansionary claim overlaps with EEZs of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

The disputed waterway is a strategic shipping route traversed by international trade worth around US$3 trillion per year.

The 2016 international arbitration court ruling states Beijing's claim, which is based on its historical map, has no international legal basis. However, the Bamboo Curtain Country did not recognize the decision.