Chinese exercises won’t alter PH claim to Bajo de Masinloc – AFP

MANILA – No amount of Chinese military exercise can alter the country’s legal claim to Bajo de Masinloc (also known as Scarborough Shoal) in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Monday.

“Military activities or demonstrations do not alter the legal status of maritime features or the Philippines’ maritime entitlements under international law,” AFP spokesperson for the WPS Navy reservist Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad told the Philippine News Agency when sought for a reaction on the reported Chinese naval and air combat drills conducted off Bajo de Masinloc last Aug. 1.

He said the Chinese military activity has “been monitored and tracked” by the AFP.

“The AFP is aware of the reported naval-air combat drills in the vicinity of Bajo de Masinloc,” he said.

Likewise, the AFP spokesperson for the WPS said the military is committed to its mandate of protecting the country’s territory and safeguarding Philippine maritime rights and interests, consistent with the 2016 Arbitral Award, United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and national interest.

Earlier, China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command announced that it had conducted joint naval and air exercises in the vicinity of Bajo de Masinloc, which is located some 124 nautical miles from the Zambales coast.

The drills involved large Chinese bomber aircraft armed with anti-ship missiles and assorted naval and coast guard ships that took part in interception, boarding, inspection and towing drills.

The PLA Southern Theater Command said these exercises were undertaken “in light of the current situation in the South China Sea and in response to the acts of certain countries within the region that have undetermined the regional peace and stability.” (PNA)

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