USCG: Chinese ramming ‘unprofessional,’ highlights ‘bullying’ in SCS

From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 27, 2024): USCG: Chinese ramming ‘unprofessional,’ highlights ‘bullying’ in SCS (By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora)

USCG Pacific Area Deputy Commander Rear Admiral Andrew Sugimoto (Photo courtesy of USCG)

MANILA – The act of ramming vessels is not in any way professional and is a violation of the international law to prevent collision at sea, a United States Coast Guard (USCG) official said Tuesday, chastising the contradiction in China’s statement on its latest actions in the Sabina Shoal.

In a virtual conference, USCG Pacific Area Deputy Commander Rear Admiral Andrew Sugimoto said no law-abiding country which conducts safe and professional operations would ram other ships.

“It’s a little astounding to say that 'I’m going to break the law in order to uphold the law.' It just doesn’t make sense, and I think most nations out there see that as unsafe and unprofessional conduct, which only highlights and further emphasizes the bullying that is going on,” he said.

Last Aug. 25, multiple Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessels and People’s Liberation Army Navy ship 626 harassed and tried to encircle the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) ship BRP Datu Sanday while it was traveling from Hasa-Hasa Shoal to Sabina Shoal.

Near Sabina Shoal, the CCG vessel 21551 rammed the Filipino ship, which at that time was also carrying journalists onboard.

The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea said the Chinese vessels “made close perilous maneuvers” that resulted in ramming, blasted horns, and launching of water cannons against the BFAR ship that led to the latter’s engine failure.

In a statement following the incident, the Chinese Foreign Ministry defended its actions as “professional, restrained and appropriate”.

Noting this, Sugimoto reiterated that ramming ships and flooding it by firing water cannons are not examples of safe and professional operations.

“I just want to highlight that part in the context of the statement itself – how disconnected that seems from reality, and go back to that is exactly what we want to prevent happening from this world,” he said.

Meanwhile, he lauded how Manila responded to China in a “professional and truly safe way”.

“It really demonstrates that this nation, the Philippines, do stand for the conduct that we all recognize is what we want in this world and not that of the other individual that keeps bullying smaller nations,” he said.

Sugimoto said Washington DC would continue its work to strengthen the capacity of the Philippine Coast Guard, including through training and support on maritime domain awareness (MDA).

“We are looking for whatever the Philippine Coast Guard wants us to help them with. That’s what we are here for in training, capacity building, legal structures, building out the laws necessary to support them, MDA, any of those things,” he said.

Hasa-Hasa Shoal is located approximately 60 nautical miles from mainland Palawan, while Sabina or Escoda Shoal is about 110 nautical miles away, both well within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.

A number of foreign missions have also expressed concern and called out China over these acts in the West Philippine Sea, including the embassies of South Korea, Australia, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, and the European Union Delegation in Manila.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1232032