G-7 leaders express serious concern as China starts to implement its new rules to arrest foreign trespassers
The heads of the seven leading industrial nations called G-7 expressed serious concern on the situation in the East and South China Seas as China starts implementing its new regulation allowing its Coast Guard to detain foreigners that will illegally cross its borders.
"We remain seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas and reiterate our strong opposition to any unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force or coercion," the G-7 leaders said in its joint communique.
The leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK, and the US gathered in Apulia, Italy for the G-7 summit from June 13 to 15.
In a statement, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. expressed belief that "provocation is the roguish and irresponsible threat (by a country) to detain 'trespassers' in what is claimed as internal waters, but is actually part of the high seas and part of the West Philippine Sea."
"Such behavior is not only a violation of UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea), but also a violation of the precepts of the United Nations Charter, which lays upon each responsible member state the duty to refrain from the threat or the use of force or aggression, to enforce, particularly in this case, illegal territorial claim in the maritime domain," he said.
The G-7 leaders also opposed "China’s dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia in the South China Sea and its repeated obstruction of countries’ high seas freedom of navigation".
"We express serious concern about the increasing use of dangerous maneuvers and water cannons against Philippine vessels," they stated.
"In this regard, we reaffirm that there is no legal basis for China’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea, and we oppose China’s militarization, and coercive and intimidation activities in the South China Sea," the leaders added.
They also "re-emphasize the universal and unified character of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and reaffirm UNCLOS’s important role in setting out the legal framework that governs all activities in the oceans and the seas."
"We reiterate that the award rendered by the Arbitral Tribunal on 12 July 2016 is a significant milestone, which is legally binding upon the parties to those proceedings, and a useful basis for peacefully resolving disputes between the parties." Robina Asido/DMS
