Maritime expert slams Panelo over dismissive comment on Chinese harassment of Liberian ship 0 SHARES Share it! Share TweetBy Martin SadongdongA maritime law expert condemned on Monday Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo for saying that the reported harassment of a Chinese vessel of a Liberian ship manned by an all-Filipino crew “does not concern” the Philippine government. However, their transit was hampered when a Chinese vessel, which introduced itself as a “Chinese naval warship,” commanded them to alter their course as they were supposedly in Chinese waters, he added. “The freedom of the seas, including seamless navigation through all maritime zone, is a concern of all maritime trading nations, especially an archipelagic state like the PH. CN’s actions undermine this freedom, and thus over the long term, threatens PH maritime interests,” Batongbacal warned.

Source: Manila Bulletin November 04, 2019 15:11 UTC