Philippines summons China envoy over South China Sea ‘aggression’
The Philippines summoned China’s deputy chief of mission in Manila on Tuesday to protest over what it called “aggressive actions” by Chinese naval forces against a resupply mission for Filipino troops stationed on a South China Sea shoal.
Manila’s South China Sea task force said Philippines vessels carrying out the routine mission to the Second Thomas Shoal were “harassed and blocked” by Chinese ships on Tuesday. Chinese coast guard ships fired water cannon, shattering the windshield of one of the resupply boats and causing injuries to four crew members, the task force said.
Their “reckless” and “illegal” actions also led to a collision between a Chinese and Philippines ship, with the latter sustaining minor structural damage, Manila’s coast guard spokesperson said separately.
The Philippines foreign ministry said it had summoned the Chinese diplomat on Tuesday to convey its protest and to demand that Chinese vessels immediately leave the vicinity of the Second Thomas Shoal.
“China’s interference with the Philippines’ routine and lawful activities in its own exclusive economic zone is unacceptable,” it said. “China’s actions infringes upon the Philippines’ sovereign rights and jurisdiction.”
China laid the blame on Manila, saying Philippines ships had illegally intruded into waters adjacent to the Second Thomas Shoal so it had to take control measures.
The Chinese action was also condemned by the US. “The US stands with the Philippines and proponents of international law in support of a free and open Indo Pacific,” US ambassador to Manila MaryKay Carlson said.
The shoal is home to a small number of Filipino troops stationed on a rusting warship that Manila grounded there in 1999 to reinforce sovereignty claims.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, which includes the Second Thomas Shoal, and has deployed vessels to patrol the disputed atoll which lies within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
Tuesday’s incident was the latest in maritime run-ins between the Philippines and China, which have been locked in a territorial dispute in the South China Sea despite a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration which found that China’s claims had no legal basis. Beijing rejects that ruling.
The Philippine task force said Beijing’s “unprovoked acts of coercion and dangerous manoeuvres” put “into question the sincerity of its calls for peaceful dialogue and lessening of tensions”.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in Beijing the operation was “professional and restrained, reasonable and lawful”.
“China once again urges the Philippine side to stop maritime violations and provocations and refrain from taking any actions that may complicate the maritime situation,” Mao said.
Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said at a forum in Australia on Monday that his country would co-operate in talks with China, but it would push back when its sovereignty and maritime rights were ignored.