Philippines calls Chinese vessel 'coward', thanks Vietnam in ship sinking case
Both Filipino defense and foreign secretaries condemned the sinking and sailing away of a Chinese vessel.
The Philippines has named “cowardly action” to the sinking and abandoning of a Filipino fishermen caused by a suspected Chinese fishing vessel in the South China Sea earlier this week, according to the Philstar. 
Filipino Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on June 12 lashed out at the Chinese for abandoning the distressed Filipino crew. Photo: Philstar/Geremy Pintolo
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Recto Bank is about 150 kilometers off the Philippine island of Palawan.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on June 12: “We thank the captain and crew of the Vietnamese vessel for saving the lives of the 22 Filipino crew. However, we condemn in the strongest terms the coward action of the Chinese fishing vessel and its crew for abandoning the Filipino crew. This is not the expected action from a responsible and friendly people,” the Philstar quoted him as saying.
Lorenzana called for an investigation into the collision, and for “diplomatic steps” to prevent the recurrence in the future.
Filipino Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. also denounced the Chinese for not rescuing the Filipino fishermen. He added the Vietnamese assistance “will be the basis of enhanced” Philippines-Vietnam military cooperation, according to the Philstar.
There have been previous reports of Chinese maritime militia vessels disguised as fishing boats harassing Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea, the Philstar reported, referring to the internationally known South China Sea or the East Sea in Vietnam.
However, the Filipino defense department spokesman Arsenio Andolong told AFP the agency had yet to confirm whether the vessel was Chinese-registered, it was the Filipino fishermen who identified the vessel Chinese.
Protesters marched in Manila on Wednesday to denounce Chinese actions in the South China Sea. Photo: Getty Images/Jes Aznar
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Hundreds of protesters marched in Manila on Wednesday over China’s actions in the South China Sea and called on Filipinos to defend their country’s sovereignty, The New York Times reported, adding that Pamalakaya, a group of fishermen who joined the protest, demanded that Chinese vessels immediately withdraw from the disputed area and that President Duterte toughen his stance against the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping.
In 2011, the Philippines accused Chinese vessels of harassing an exploration vessel off Rector Bank. In 2016, Manila won a key ruling against China’s claims in the sea, but Duterte opted to set it aside to court Chinese investment and trade. He visited China four times in three years, but bilateral ties have been fraying, particularly over territorial disputes, according to The New York Times.
The South China Sea is a strategically important area claimed in whole or in part by China, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam.
At a meeting of Asia-Pacific defense officials in Singapore this month, Lorenzana called on all South China Sea claimants to exercise utmost caution to prevent an escalation of hostilities. He pushed for freedom of navigation in the area, while the US said it was investing heavily in new technology that would improve its defense capabilities along with those of its allies. Acting US Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan also urged Beijing to follow a “rules-based order” in the region, according to The New York Times.
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