The Philippine government, through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), on Wednesday, April 8, expressed its deep concern over the sinking of a Vietnamese fishing boat last April 3. It was allegedly hit by a Chinese coast guard vessel near the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea.
In what it called a “statement of solidarity” with Vietnam, the DFA noted that such incidents “undermine the potential of a genuinely deep and trusting regional relationship between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China.”
“Our own similar experience revealed how much trust in a friendship is lost by it; and how much trust was created by Vietnam’s humanitarian act of directly saving the lives of our Filipino fishermen. We have not stopped and will not stop thanking Vietnam. It is with that in mind that we issue this statement of solidarity,” the Philippines said in an expression of support to Vietnam.
“The continued strengthening of regional relations is especially critical in light of the ASEAN-China joint commitment to collectively tackle the ongoing crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, as declared in the Statement of the Special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on the Coronavirus Disease 2019 , issued on 20 February 2020,” it said.
On the same day, the Vietnamese government lodged a diplomatic protest against Beijing asking the Chinese side to investigate and discipline the officers aboard the Chinese coast guard vessel. Vietnam confirmed that the eight fishermen have safely returned to Vietnam after the April 3 incident.
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