China's continued deployment of ships in the East Sea has been criticized by the international community (Photo: AFP)

The Philippines has sent two more diplomatic protests to China, saying that the continued swarming and threatening presence of the Chinese vessels creates an atmosphere of instability and is a blatant disregard of the commitments by China to promote peace and stability in the region.

In a resolution filed on April 26, 11 Filipino senators condemned China’s activities which they said caused tensions in the East Sea, affirming that the activities are a clear violation of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 Hague tribunal ruling.

In the 2021 edition of the Diplomatic Bluebook released on April 27, the Japanese Government emphasized concerns over China’s military expansion and activities in the East China Sea and East Sea. It said that China’s expansion of military capabilities that lack transparency and growing unilateral actions to change the status quo in Asian waters pose “strong concerns” in the region and to the international community.

The European Union also expressed concern regarding the presence of Chinese vessels in many areas in the East Sea. In a statement coursed through the European External Action Service, the EU said it supports the ASEAN-led process towards an effective, substantive and legally binding Code of Conduct, which should not prejudice the interests of third parties.

Website eurasiareview.com stressed in an article that China’s increasing incursions in the sea in defiance of global norms has heightened tensions in the region.