The Philippines is not provoking any conflict in the South China Sea, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Tuesday, in response to Beijing’s accusation that Manila is repeatedly encroaching on Chinese territory. “The Philippines is not provoking conflict. We follow international law and we are only implementing our domestic law,” AFP spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar said in an interview with state-run PTV4.
He added that the Philippines is not conducting activities that put vessels and seafarers in danger, and instead accused China of performing dangerous maneuvers that sometimes result in collisions at sea. “They are the ones committing all the violations,” Aguilar said, pointing out that the Philippines was just conducting activities within its territorial waters and exclusive economic zone without endangering other countries passing through the area. Aguilar said it was the Chinese that were conducting shadowing activities, dangerous maneuvers, and water cannon attacks, as well as causing collisions