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South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed concern over the heightened tension following a collision between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the South China Sea.
“Our government deeply worries about the dangerous situation where a collision occurred between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the South China Sea and water cannons were used against the Philippine vessel,” said Lim Su Suk, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a regular briefing on the 7th.
Adding, “Such situations threaten the safety of sailors and escalate tensions in the South China Sea. Our government supports peace, safety, the maintenance of rule-based order in the South China Sea, and the freedom of navigation and overflight by the principles of international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.”
The Korean embassy in the Philippines also expressed concern over the recent collision between China and the Philippines in the disputed waters of the South China Sea. It stated that the freedom of navigation and overflight based on the principles of international law should be guaranteed on the morning of the same day (local time).
The Philippines announced on the 5th that a national ship performing a supply mission near the Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea collided with a Chinese coast guard vessel, and the hull was damaged. They also reported that four national soldiers were injured by the water cannon fired by the Chinese vessel.
In August, November, and December of last year, tensions between the two countries escalated when a Chinese coast guard vessel fired a water cannon at a Philippine vessel near the Second Thomas Shoal.
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