(Eagle News)–The Palace on Wednesday, April 10, rebuked China after newspaper reports said there were Chinese vessels near islands occupied by the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea.
“If they continue to be present in our territory then it is an assault on our sovereignty,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said following reports on the presence of the vessels near Kota Island.
These were apart from the vessels near Pag-asa Island.
According to Panelo, the Department of Foreign Affairs would file a diplomatic protest if the information was validated.
“They have no business being there,” Panelo said.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teddy Locsin has filed a diplomatic protest over the presence of Chinese vessels near Pag-asa Island.
President Rodrigo Duterte, under whose administration the Philippines now has warmer relations with China, has also chided the Asian giant for its move.
Upon his assumption of office, Duterte has opted to set aside for the time being the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration decision that invalidated China’s nine-dash-line.
The line delineated China’s expansive claims in the West Philippine Sea.
“We are friends but do not touch Pag-asa Islands,” Duterte had said.