US diplomat says China has no lawful claim over Philippines EEZ

China has no lawful claim over the Philippines exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea, a US diplomat said on Wednesday.

US State Department counselor Derek Chollet told reporters in Manila that the US view on China’s claim was quite clear.

“[China] has no lawful claim to the area that determined by the arbitral tribunal to be part of the Philippines, Philippine’s EEZ, and the continental shelf, we recognize the sovereign rights and the jurisdiction under the UN law of the sea treaty the second Thomas shoal and reed bank.”, Chollet said.

Chollet made the remark a few days after a Chinese foreign ministry official said that China had “sovereign rights" over the Panatag Shoal, an area well within the Philippines' EEZ.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Sunday reported a “close distance maneuvering” incident involving a Chinese vessel in the area on March 2.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin on Monday also urged the PCG to “earnestly respect” China’s claim to the waters.

Chollet who is in Manila to attend meetings with Philippine government officials said the U.S. will be obligated to defend the Philippines in an event of an attack on the Philippines including in the South China Sea.

“We stand by our Philippine allies and we will uphold Article Four of the Mutual Defense Treaty and we very much reject Chinese aggression in the South China Sea their coercion their attempts to create, facts on the ground and facts on the water as well," Chollet said. —JP Soriano/NB, GMA News