China's coast guard says 'allowed' Philippines to evacuate sick person in S.China Sea

China "allowed" the Philippines to operate legally in its own internationally-recognized waters? How magnanimous of the Emperor.

a claim Manila's coast guard said was "ridiculous".

Exactly right. Xi may be more suited to stand-up comedy than brutal dictatorship.

China will allow the Philippines to deliver supplies and evacuate personnel if Manila notifies Beijing ahead of a mission.

Proof positive that China wants control of its neighbors territory. Delusions of grandeur and importance from Beijing. All nations must beware of China and the CCP's intentions. Its actions are so often opposite from its statements of friendly intentions.

China must be opposed, as it cannot be trusted. Manila understands this all to well.

If China attacks Philippines' territory then the US is obligated to defend the Philippines under the defence agreement between the US and the Philippines

Snefruscousin

Today 03:29 pm JST

So China thinks that they are in control of the sea. Perhaps Philippines should dig up some old seaminess (ww2) and let them loose in the area so that China gets something else on their mind rather than obstructing Philippines small supply boats. This is the way China treats small neigbours simply because they choose to think they have the right to decide over others. Obviously they still live in the imperial times from several centuries ago. The Chinese cowards would never dare to do the same to US ships.

We'll find out if US ships venture into China territory

Why is the warmongering power "allowing" anything? Get the US in there and do what you need to do, Phillipines!!!

ianToday 04:06 pm JST

We'll find out if US ships venture into China territory

Which only includes 12 nm from populated non-artificial land. More likely we will see when the US exercises its freedom of navigation in international waters and China does something stupid.

The Chinese cowards would never dare to do the same to US ships.

If only the US helped the Philippines resupply that marooned ship then we would have found out already

Being confined to a rusty, asbestos ridden hulk that is illegally grounded is a virtual death sentence. Kudos for facilitating the rescue of this victim.

Important to observe Taiwan also claims the Second Thomas Shoal and their overall claim in the SCS matches Beijing's. Vietnam also claims it too.

Certain quarters frequently conveniently ignore this fact.

JJEToday 05:04 pm JST

Being confined to a rusty, asbestos ridden hulk that is illegally grounded

As I say each time you regurgitate this falsehood: there's nothing illegal about the Philippines putting a Philippine ship in Philippine waters.

China "allowed" the Philippines to operate legally in its own internationally-recognized waters?

That's ... actually a bit of a doozy. The problem is whether you believe the Shoals count as land. The Permanent Court of Arbitration's solution was that it doesn't stick out of the water enough to count as land, so it is ocean, and control of the relevant surface is determined by EEZs ranging out from other places that are at least of island size - that happens to make it Filipino.

However, both the PRC and the Phillippines act like that was land (you don't beach a ship onto a random point in the mundane ocean as a makeshift base). If we accept the Shoals are land, then the PRC has a valid, in fact probably leading claim to the land - it helps that China was at least a country when the Phillippines was an US colony. And if it is Chinese land, then even as a "rock" it can generate the 12 mile territorial sea - so we'd have a patch of Chinese territorial sea interrupting Philippines EEZ.

Further, without disputing most of the PCA's judgment, it's still possible to beef about this one because it exceeds the PCA's own self-admitted boundaries - it can't adjudicate sovereignty claims. Refusal of nine-dashed line or downgrading islands into rocks doesn't attack the sovereignty claim, only the extent of water that the claim influences. Defining a piece of land as not land does attack and neutralize the claim, which the PCA admitted was beyond what it can do because it is beyond what UNCLOS controls for - this creates an argument at least this part of the judgment is void ab initio due to ultra vires.

Thus, the PRC's legal claim may be better than what people give it credit for.

JJEToday 05:04 pm JST

Being confined to a rusty, asbestos ridden hulk that is illegally grounded is a virtual death sentence. Kudos for facilitating the rescue of this victim.

Nothing illegal about putting an outpost in an area frequented by Chinese pirates. The Philippines doesn't obstruct anyone's navigation through the area that is behaving lawfully.

Important to observe Taiwan also claims the Second Thomas Shoal and their overall claim in the SCS matches Beijing's. Vietnam also claims it too.

Certain quarters frequently conveniently ignore this fact.

Important to observe that this fact is irrelevant and the problem remains China's Warmongering.

Kazuaki ShimazakiToday 05:28 pm JST

Thus, the PRC's legal claim may be better than what people give it credit for.

All you have to do is look at a map to see the ridiculousness of China's claim. You don't get to make territorial sea out of nothing, either.

Kazuaki ShimazakiToday  05:28 pm JST

China "allowed" the Philippines to operate legally in its own internationally-recognized waters?

That's ... actually a bit of a doozy. The problem is whether you believe the Shoals count as land. The Permanent Court of Arbitration's solution was that it doesn't stick out of the water enough to count as land, so it is ocean, and control of the relevant surface is determined by EEZs ranging out from other places that are at least of island size - that happens to make it Filipino.

However, both the PRC and the Phillippines act like that was land (you don't beach a ship onto a random point in the mundane ocean as a makeshift base). If we accept the Shoals are land, then the PRC has a valid, in fact probably leading claim to the land - it helps that China was at least a country when the Phillippines was an US colony. And if it is Chinese land, then even as a "rock" it can generate the 12 mile territorial sea - so we'd have a patch of Chinese territorial sea interrupting Philippines EEZ.

Further, without disputing most of the PCA's judgment, it's still possible to beef about this one because it exceeds the PCA's own self-admitted boundaries - it can't adjudicate sovereignty claims. Refusal of nine-dashed line or downgrading islands into rocks doesn't attack the sovereignty claim, only the extent of water that the claim influences. Defining a piece of land as not land does attack and neutralize the claim, which the PCA admitted was beyond what it can do because it is beyond what UNCLOS controls for - this creates an argument at least this part of the judgment is void ab initio due to ultra vires.

Thus, the PRC's legal claim may be better than what people give it credit for.

I agree. Except for the part that this is the PCA's judgement. As I understand it the PCA was just the registry for the proceedings, the tribunal who made the judgement was just an ad hoc one constituted for this purpose

All you have to do is "look at a map" now.

Oh, I see.

Certain quarters dismissed a map posted earlier which directly contradicted certain assertions, despite it being unequivocal and from the most reliable source.

How convenient.

'allowed'

Forgot how China allowed Tibetan to be ruled by them?

Forgot how China allowed Uyghurs to be ruled by them?

Forgot how China allowed Mongolian and Russian to be ruled by them?

Forgot how Yueh ethnics allowed Han Chinese to rule them?