MANILA, Oct 23 (Portal) – The Philippines on Monday accused Chinese coast guard ships of “deliberately” colliding with its vessels during a resupply mission in a disputed part of the South China Sea, as relations soured between the U.S.’s Southeast Asian ally and Beijing worsened.
Both sides exchanged accusations after the latest incident on Sunday, which was the most serious yet in the waters around the disputed Second Thomas sandbar, although no one was injured.
China said on Sunday that the Philippine boats collided “dangerously” with coast guard vessels and “Chinese fishing vessels” that were fishing there.
On Monday, the Chinese embassy in Manila said it had lodged stern accusations with the Philippines over the “trespassing” of its ships and called on the Philippine government to stop causing “trouble and provocation” at sea and to stop messing with China’s reputation “unprovoked attacks” to tarnish it. .
Officials from the Philippine National Security Council, Coast Guard, State Department, Defense Department and Armed Forces condemned the Chinese Coast Guard’s actions.
The United States sided with its ally and formally expressed its concern in a statement. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said it was ignoring the facts.
U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan reiterated U.S. support for Manila following the incident in a phone call with his Philippine counterpart Eduardo Ano on Monday, calling Chinese naval actions “dangerous and unlawful,” according to the White House.
Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said during a press conference that “Chinese coast guard and maritime militia vessels harassed and deliberately attacked Manila’s supply boat and coast guard vessel in flagrant violation of international law.”
“This is a serious escalation of the Chinese government’s illegal activities in the West Philippine Sea in total disregard of any norms or conventions of international law,” Teodoro said after attending a security meeting convened by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Teodoro also acknowledged “the support of our allies and like-minded nations such as the United States, Japan, Australia, Germany, Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the European Union in condemning China’s aggression and expansionist actions.”
A Philippine-flagged boat is blocked by a Chinese Coast Guard vessel in the disputed waters of the South China Sea during an incident that led to a collision between the two vessels. Acquire license rights through the Chinese Coast Guard
He said the Foreign Ministry summoned Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian to “condemn the reckless and illegal action of the Chinese government.”
Since Marcos came to power in 2022, the Philippines has sought closer ties with its traditional ally, the United States, while raising increasing complaints about China’s aggressive behavior.
In contrast to the previous administration’s more pro-China stance, Marcos’ administration has filed 122 diplomatic protests against China’s aggressive actions in the South China Sea.
These incidents included attempts to block resupply missions in the Philippines and the use of water cannons on August 5
The regular resupply missions involve a handful of Filipino soldiers living aboard an aging warship that deliberately ran aground on Second Thomas Shoal in 1999 to assert Manila’s sovereignty claims.
The uninhabited shoal, known as Ayungin Reef in Manila and Renai Reef in China, lies within the Philippines’ 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone and is strategically located on one of the world’s busiest trade routes.
Medel Aguilar, spokesman for the Philippine military, said Sunday’s incident was the first time Chinese ships collided with supply boats.
An image shared by the Philippine Coast Guard on Sunday showed three of the four boats involved in the resupply mission surrounded by seven larger ships from the Chinese coast guard and maritime militia.
China on Sunday described the actions of its coast guard ships as “professional and restrained” and said the Philippine ships “entered Renai waters.”
Teodoro said: “China has no jurisdiction, authority or right to conduct any operations in the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines.”
The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague concluded in 2016 that Beijing’s expansive claims to the South China Sea were unfounded. China maintains it will not accept any claims or lawsuits based on the ruling.
Reporting by Enrico dela Cruz and Karen Lema; Additional reporting by Ethan Wang and Liz Lee in Beijing and Susan Heavey in Washington; Edited by Gerry Doyle, Simon Cameron-Moore and Bill Berkrot
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