WEST PHILIPPINE SEA:

Chinese Vessel Lasering Philippine Vessel

A Research:
Submitted to Sir Vergizilon De Lara for partial fulfillment
to the Reading and Writing Skills research.

By:
Group 3
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. INTRODUCTION

II. DISCUSSION

III. CONCLUSION

IV. REFERENCES
I. INTRODUCTION
The relationship between the Philippines and China has been in odds
since the latter country tried to assert its claims on the West
Philippine Sea on 2009. On July 12, 2016 the Philippine won its
petition against China before the Permanent Court of Arbitration
(PCA) ruling that Beijing’s claims on the West Philippine Sea has no
historical basis but China has repeatedly ignored this and continued
to send ships, vessels, and even using water cannons and sirens to
enforce its claims on the sea.

Another issue surfaced on Monday, February 6, 2023 when a

Chinese vessel used a "military-grade” laser on a Philippine Coast
Guard vessel that was assisting in a resupply mission to troops in
Ayugin shoal resulting on a temporary blindness of a Philippine
vessel crew member. China has continuously denied the accusation
claiming that the laser was a method for measuring the speed of the
vessel and a tool for navigation but this statement was thwarted.
The mere presence of the Chinese vessel on the sea is questionable
making the action of the vessel much more unjustifiable.
 II. DISCUSSION
The conflict between Philippines and China has been going on for years.
On January 22, 2013 the Philippines initiated international arbitration
against China concerning its territorial and maritime dispute in WPS
(West Philippine Sea), challenging China’s claim in the Sea. But with
both sides having their own arguments and claims regarding the Sea,
and their claims that the other side has violated the rules, and neither
of them not wanting to give up the rights on the sea, the conflict has
been dragged for a long time now.

One of China’s arguments is their so-called historic rights, and the nine-
dash line, China uses the historic rights of nine-dash line as its stand for
claiming the West Philippine Sea (WPS), however under the United
Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) views this as
invalid and unlawful.

On July 12, 2016 Philippines won the case against china and received its
award for merits of disputes. The Tribunal’s Ruling is clearly a legal
victory for the Philippines. Despite this, China rejected the judgement
as illegal, null, and void and as such, it has no bearing on China. China
still continues their operation on Spratly island and West Philippine Sea
(WPS) and the building of infrastructure and artificial land, Filipino
fisherman and authorities still continues to receive hostility from china.
China’s Military vessels still continues to be spotted in Philippine’s
exclusive economic zone (EEZ) like nothing happened on court, their
attitude towards the fisherman and authorities are still the same,
hopefully, we can see an improvement on the situation soon.
The recent lasering of Chinese vessels to Philippine vessels in the South
China Sea has been a cause for concern among many nations. The
incident occurred when a Chinese fishing vessel, accompanied by two
armed Chinese coast guard ships, was spotted near the Scarborough
Shoal, an area that is claimed by both China and the Philippines. This
incident has raised questions about the legality of such actions and has
sparked a debate over who should have control over these waters. The
Philippines has argued that it has exclusive economic rights to the area
due to its 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). This means that any
foreign vessels entering this zone must first obtain permission from the
Philippines government before they can enter or fish in its waters. On
the other hand, China claims that it has historical rights to these waters
and therefore does not need permission from any other nation to enter
them. In response to this incident, the United Nations Convention on
Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) was invoked which states that all countries
have an obligation to respect each other’s sovereignty over their EEZs.
This means that all countries must respect each other’s right to
regulate activities within their own EEZs without interference from
outside sources.
 III. CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the evidence points that the Philippines is at no fault on
this matter and the Chinese vessel’s presence on the sea is
questionable, making its action unjustifiable. It is clear that lasering of
Chinese vessels to Philippine vessels is a violation of international law
and could lead to further tensions between these two nations if not
addressed properly. In order for peace and stability in this region, it is
essential for both sides to come together and negotiate a solution that
respects both parties' rights while also ensuring freedom of navigation
in these waters. It is also important for all countries involved in this
dispute to adhere strictly to UNCLOS regulations so as not to escalate
tensions further. Under international law, China has zero claim on the
West Philippine Sea, but Beijing continues to claim it by law and by
force of arms.
 IV. REFERENCES
https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2023/02/17/2245508/philippines-
rejects-chinas-laser-explanation-beijing-claims-ship-did-not-direct-
lasers-pcg-vessel

https://www.imoa.ph/speech-the-rule-of-law-in-the-west-philippine-
sea-dispute/

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-64621414

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1148352#:~:text=MANILA
%20%E2%80%93%20The%20Philippines'%20long%2D,relinquishing
%20the%20WPS%20to%20China.

https://l.messenger.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fedition.cnn.com
%2F2023%2F02%2F13%2Fasia%2Fphilippines-china-coast-guard-laser-
intl-hnk-ml%2Findex.html&h=AT35gzLOSph7d7--xOnzwek-
Mjb1539KUQwe--
NniHEhDIujLANiI_4qDOGvYZl9VeGWJA6lWCJV4a9CBrZLR2oP_ivzFxKcTB
gxgGu6nh-HBGJoL3WSmw5QTmexKdnm8mxhk61zMcruYXexwYZJhA