China has no right "to object, much less interfere" with the Philippines' maritime scientific research activities in the Pag-Asa Cays, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Thursday.

Foreign Affairs spokesperson Teresita Daza said the agency "rejects and refutes the recent statements of the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in Manila regarding Pag-Island and the Pag-Asa Cays, and the activities of Philippine authorities in the area."

"The actions of Philippine authorities in the area are a valid exercise of Philippine sovereignty and consistent with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award, as well as the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC)," she said.

"China has no right to object, much less interfere with these lawful and routine activities. We urge China to respect the Philippines’ sovereignty and jurisdiction, even as we continue to pursue peaceful and legal means to manage differences and the situation at sea," she added.

Daza noted that "the Philippines is clearly within its rights to conduct routine maritime operations and scientific research in and around these features, and will continue to do so."

"The fundamental fact is that Pag-asa Island and the Pag-asa Cays form part of the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG), which is an integral part of the Philippines over which it has longstanding sovereignty and jurisdiction," she said.

In its statement, the Embassy of China in the Philippines said that the maritime scientific research activities of the Philippines "constitutes a serious violation of Article 5 of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), which explicitly states that all Parties shall “exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that would complicate or escalate disputes and affect peace and stability, including refraining from inhabiting presently uninhabited islands, reefs, shoals, cays, and other features.”

"Since the adoption of the DOC in 2002, all parties have generally refrained from entering uninhabited features in the Nansha Qundao?until the recent actions by the Philippines," it stated.

It also noted that "since last January, the Philippines has conducted 27 unauthorized landings involving 167 personnel on uninhabited features in the South China Sea in disregard of strong protests and representations from the Chinese side."

"These so-called scientific research missions included media crews, seemingly to stage and record the events, resembling film production rather than genuine research. The underlying intentions behind such activities are self-evident. It is clear which party initiated the provocation and which is engaging in deception," the Chinese Embassy stated.

"China will continue to take resolute measures to safeguard its territorial sovereignty, maintain Tiexian Jiao’s status of ‘no personnel or facilities,’ and steadfastly uphold the sanctity of the DOC," it added.

Last May 21, China Coast Guard (CCG) fired its water cannons against a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) research vessel in Pag-Asa Cays.

BFAR ship BRP Datu Sanday was conducting a routine mission with a Filipino scientific team to collect sand samples as part of a marine scientific research initiative with BRP Datu Pagbuaya (MMOV 3003) when they were harassed within the vicinity of Sandy Cay 2 last week.

The BFAR reported that "CCG vessel 21559 water cannoned and sideswiped the BRP Datu Sanday (MMOV 3002) twice, resulting in some damage to the latter’s port bow and smokestack, and putting at risk lives of its civilian personnel onboard" the ship.

"This incident marks the first time water cannons have been used against DA-BFAR research vessels in the area of the Pag-Asa Cays," it stated. Robina Asido/DMS