China: SCS is generally stable

China on Thursday said the situation in the South China Sea is “generally stable” amid the increasing tension between its coast guard and Philippine vessels.

“The South China Sea is generally stable,” said China Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning in a press briefing, when asked to comment on the recently signed maritime cooperation agreements between the Philippines and Australia.

Mao stressed that these maritime pacts should not “undermine other countries’ interests or disrupt regional peace and stability.”

On Thursday, the Philippines and Australia signed three memoranda of understanding on maritime and technology.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese witnessed the signing of the agreements in Canberra, Australia.

Earlier this week, Marcos, before leaving for his two-day state visit to Australia, aired his thoughts on the supposed assertiveness of China in the WPS.

“It’s really worrisome. Before, it was just the China Coast Guard making moves in our area. Now their Navy and fishing boats are joining them, so the situation is really changing,” Marcos had said.

Over the weekend, the Philippine Coast Guard accused its Chinese counterpart of jamming the signals of Filipino vessels’ tracking systems in the WPS.

The Philippine Navy, for its part, confirmed that it had monitored an “interference” in its electronic capabilities in the WPS.

It, however, did not specifically identify the source of the interference.

China claims the vast South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea, which is within the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration rejected Beijing’s historical claim to the West Philippine Sea and favored Manila’s sovereign rights in the area.

Despite this, the 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea remains on paper as China has continued to reject the ruling and assert its claim to the area.