Pawan Kumar
The Philippines of firing a military-grade laser light .
13 February, Manila (EFE). A Chinese coast guard vessel was accused by the Philippines of firing a military-grade laser light at one of its ships in the disputed South China Sea on Monday. “For around ten seconds, a green laser rendered our crew’s ship mostly blind. Chinese ships have never before employed this technique “Armand Balilo, a spokesman for the Philippine Coast Guard, said EFE on Monday. “We think this laser is for military use.” The incident took place on February 6 in the South China Sea near the Philippine-controlled Ayungin Shoal.
It took place in the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone, southwest of the archipelago, and less than 200 miles from Palawan’s western shore. According to a treaty that China ratified in 1996, the United Nations set a limit of 200 nautical miles to determine a country’s maritime sovereignty. After a Philippine coast guard vessel entered Chinese waters in the contentious South China Sea, China said that its coast guards reacted “professionally and with restraint.” Speaking on behalf of the foreign ministry, Wang Wenbin stated that China expected the Philippines to solemnly respect China’s territorial sovereignty, rights, and maritime interests in the South China Sea and refrain from taking any actions that might escalate the conflicts and make the situation more difficult.
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According to a statement from the Philippine Coast Guard, the Chinese coast guard vessel “twice” fired a laser at the BRP Malapascua ship and engaged in “dangerous manoeuvres” by coming within 150 yards (137 metres) of the ship. The case was filed a week after the US and the Philippines agreed to a deal that grants American soldiers access to four additional military facilities in key Philippine locations. According to experts, US access to these bases, the location of which has not yet been made public, would help contain China’s movements in the South China Sea, a vital global trade route and an area rich in natural resources, as well as around Taiwan, a self-governing island that Beijing does not rule out invading. US Vice President Kamala Harris stated that her nation would defend the Philippines against Chinese “intimidation” in disputed waters between Manila and Beijing during a speech on board a Philippine Coast Guard vessel in Palawan in November. The sovereignty of a number of islands and atolls in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims virtually fully, is under dispute between China and the Philippines. Additionally, China and Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan, and Brunei have territorial conflicts. EFE fsg/pd-ss/ssk
