November 28, 2024 | 7:34pm
MANILA, Philippines — The Group of Seven (G7) countries’ foreign ministers have intensified their criticism of China’s “dangerous” maritime behavior, naming the Philippines as a target of Chinese vessels’ aggression for the first time in their annual joint statement.
The G7 ministers expressed “deep concern over the increasing use of dangerous maneuvers and water cannons against Philippine and Vietnamese vessels” while declaring “there is no legal basis for China’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea,” according to their November 26 joint statement following their meeting in Italy.
The foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America and the High Representative of the European Union also opposed Beijing’s “dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia” and “repeated obstruction of countries’ freedom of navigation.”
“We remain seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas. We reiterate our strong opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion,” the statement read.
The foreign ministers of the G7 nations also reiterated their opposition to China’s “militarization and coercive and intimidation activities in the South China Sea.” This point of criticism was not present in last year’s statement.
They also doubled down on the binding nature of the 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated China’s sweeping nine-dash line claim in the South China Sea, calling it a “useful basis for peacefully resolving disputes between the parties.”
Beijing has never recognized the ruling and has instead continued to press its claims on almost all of the South China Sea, parts of which overlap with the Philippines’, Vietnam’s and other Southeast Asian nations’ exclusive economic zones.
As a result, Chinese vessels have routinely shadowed, blocked and doused with water cannons Filipino vessels conducting patrols and resupply missions. Chinese ships have also harassed Vietnamese fishing vessels.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo on Thursday, November 28 welcomed the G7’s position and their support for maintaining a rules-based order in the South China Sea.
“The state of the Indo-Pacific concerns us all. That’s why at the G7 [foreign ministers] meeting, I conveyed the Philippines’ views on Indo-Pacific / South China Sea issues & the situation our people face in the West Philippine Sea,” Manalo said in a post on X on Wednesday, November 27.
“The Philippines appreciates the G7’s unwavering commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific as well as to the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) centrality & unity,” the foreign affairs secretary added.
The G7’s stronger stance comes amid escalating tensions in the West Philippine Sea. For the past year, Philippine vessels have faced increasingly aggressive actions from Chinese vessels, particularly around Second Thomas Shoal (Ayungin Shoal), where Manila maintains the BRP Sierra Madre as a military outpost.
The Philippines has filed hundreds of diplomatic protests against Beijing for these actions. It has also actively sought and gained the support of foreign powers, including the United States, Japan and Australia.
Under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the Philippines also been documenting and publicly releasing video evidence of Chinese vessels’ dangerous maneuvers as part of its assertive transparency strategy.
In October, the Philippines expressed support for Vietnam over Chinese law enforcement authorities’ reported assault of Vietnamese fishers near the contested Paracel Islands in the South China Sea.
The National Security Council had explicitly said it stood behind Vietnam over the reported attack and called on China to cease “all hostile activities” in the disputed waters.
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