Philippine business groups said on Friday they deplored the harassment of the country's military, in comments that come after a recent clash between navy personnel and the Chinese coast guard in the disputed South China Sea.

"We appeal for unity towards a non-violent resolution that respects our rights as a peace-loving nation," the business groups said in a rare joint statement, which did not mention China by name.

The group, composed of 17 business organisations including the Makati Business Club and the Management Association of the Philippines, also urged the government to "pursue with utmost urgency" measures to transform the country's military and coastguard into a modern self-reliant force.

"We deplore the continued harassment of the AFP, the PCG, and most of all, our people who are just trying to earn their livelihood," it said referring to the acronyms of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Coast Guard.

The Philippine foreign ministry has denounced as "illegal and aggressive" China's actions during a routine resupply mission on Monday to a disputed atoll, which the Philippine military said severely injured a navy sailor and damaged vessels.

But China's foreign ministry disputed this, with a spokesperson saying that the necessary measures taken were lawful, professional and beyond reproach.

The Second Thomas Shoal lies inside the Philippines' exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea, and the Scarborough Shoal, a rich fishing ground.

China claims almost all of the South China Sea as its own, infuriating neighbouring countries. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 found China's sweeping claims have no legal basis, a ruling Beijing rejects.

China's embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the business group's statement.

AfriPrime App link:  FREE to download...

https://www.amazon.com/Africircle-AfriPrime/dp/B0D2M3F2JT

Philippines says it did not consider invoking US pact over South China Sea clash

 Aerial view of the contested Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea.

The Philippines did not consider invoking a mutual defence treaty with the United States after accusing China of disrupting a resupply mission in the disputed South China Sea, officials said on Friday.

A Philippine sailor suffered serious injury after what its military described as "intentional-high speed ramming" by the Chinese Coast Guard on Monday, aiming to disrupt a resupply mission for troops stationed on the Second Thomas Shoal.

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who also chairs the national maritime council, said the confrontation between Philippine navy sailors and the Chinese coast guard "was probably a misunderstanding or an accident".

"We are not yet ready to classify this as an armed attack," Bersamin told a briefing. "I think this is a matter that can easily be resolved by us and if China wants to work with us, we can work with China."

China's foreign ministry disputed the Philippines' account, with a spokesperson saying on Thursday that the necessary measures taken were lawful, professional and beyond reproach.

China's embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Philippines has a mutual defence treaty with the United States, and U.S. officials including President Joe Biden have reaffirmed its "ironclad" defence commitments against any attack on Philippine aircraft and vessels in the South China Sea.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a call with the Philippines' foreign minister on Wednesday, "underscored the United States' ironclad commitments to the Philippines under the Mutual Defense Treaty.

Andres Centino, a presidential assistant for maritime concerns, said invoking the treaty was not considered in discussions.

The council, however, had recommended to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. that its resupply missions to the disputed shoal should be announced and continue to be "scheduled regularly".

AfriPrime App link:  FREE to download...

https://www.amazon.com/Africircle-AfriPrime/dp/B0D2M3F2JT

Philippines not in business of instigating wars, says President Marcos

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Sunday his country is not in the business of instigating wars and will always aim to settle disputes peacefully, amid escalating maritime confrontations with China.

"In defending the nation, we stay true to our Filipino nature that we would like to settle all these issues peacefully," Marcos said in a speech to troops of the Western Command unit in charge of overseeing the South China Sea.

Philippine navy personnel and the Chinese coast guard had their latest clash during a routine resupply mission by Manila in the South China Sea last week, in which it said a sailor was severely injured and vessels damaged.

China's Coast Guard personnel carrying knives and spears looted firearms and "deliberately punctured" Philippine boats involved in the mission, the Philippine military said.

China disputed the Philippine account, with a foreign ministry spokesperson saying on Thursday the necessary measures taken were lawful, professional and beyond reproach.

Marcos, who did not name China in his speech, commended the troops for exercising restraint "amidst intense provocation", and said his country would always exercise its freedoms and rights in line with international law.

"In the performance of our duties, we will not resort to the use of force or intimidation, or deliberately inflict injury or harm to anyone," Marcos said. "We stand firm. Our calm and peaceful disposition should not be mistaken for acquiescence."

Recent maritime run-ins between China and the Philippines, a U.S. treaty ally in Southeast Asia, have made the highly strategic South China Sea a potential flashpoint between Washington and Beijing.

The United States has condemned China's actions and reaffirmed its ironclad defence commitments against any attack on Philippine aircraft or vessels in the South China Sea under their mutual defence treaty.

But the Philippines said on Friday there was no reason to invoke the treaty because China's actions, which security officials have described as escalatory, could not be classified as an "armed attack".

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual shipborne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague said China's claims had no legal basis, a decision Beijing has rejected.

"We are not in the business to instigate wars - our great ambition is to provide a peaceful and prosperous life for every Filipino," Marcos said. "We refuse to play by the rules that force us to choose sides in a great power competition."

AfriPrime App link:  FREE to download...

https://www.amazon.com/Africircle-AfriPrime/dp/B0D2M3F2JT