Manila: The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Wednesday welcomed the Group of Seven's (G7) recent objection to the 'increasing use' of dangerous maneuvers and water cannons against Philippine vessels in the South China Sea.

According to Philippines News Agency, the G7 foreign ministers, who held a meeting in Charlevoix, Quebec in Canada from March 12 to 14, recently criticized 'efforts to restrict freedom of navigation and overflight' through militarization and coercion in the South China Sea, describing these actions as a violation of international law. The G7 condemned China's 'illicit, provocative, coercive, and dangerous actions' in the Indo-Pacific and expressed concern over dangerous maneuvers against vessels from the Philippines and Vietnam.

The DFA expressed appreciation for the G7 Foreign Ministers' reaffirmation of their collective position on the South China Sea. The Philippines acknowledged particularly the G7's objection to illicit, provocative, coercive, and dangerous actions and appreciated its consistent expression of concern over the increasing use of dangerous maneuvers and water cannons against Philippine vessels in the South China Sea.

Additionally, the DFA recognized the G7's pronouncements calling on coastal states to refrain from unilateral actions that cause permanent physical changes to the marine environment. These include land reclamation, building of outposts, and 'attempts to change the status quo by the establishment of new geographical facts'.

The DFA also expressed appreciation for the G7's consistent reaffirmation that the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is the legal framework for governing all activities in the oceans and seas. Moreover, the DFA felt encouraged by the G7's consistent acknowledgment of the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award, which confirms its status as an unassailable part of the corpus of international law.

The Philippine government reiterated its commitment to upholding a free, open, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific, and confirmed Manila's vision of the South China Sea as 'a sea of peace, stability, and prosperity'. The DFA stated that the Philippines will continue to call for the cessation of interference, obstruction, and harassment of its legal activities within its recognized maritime entitlements.