Philippines Defends Right to Escoda Shoal, Despite CCP Rhetoric

Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson, Commodore Jay Tarriela (L), talks with Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar during a press conference on a recent incident with Chinese ships at the Second Thomas Shoal as they talk with reporters in Quezon City, Philippines, on Oct. 23, 2023. Aaron Favila/AP Photo

Philippines Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela on Aug. 17 defended Philippine vessels’ right to be in the Escoda Shoal, an atoll belonging to the Spratly Islands, after the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement accusing the Philippines of action that “infringes on China’s sovereignty.”

Tensions between the Philippines and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the South China Sea have recently escalated into skirmishes, despite an agreement the two countries reached on July 24.