The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday that it has lodged a diplomatic protest against the Chinese government regarding the incident at Scarborough Shoal in the disputed South China Sea on December 4th. The Philippines accuses Chinese coast guard ships of using water cannons against Philippine vessels and ramming into one of the ships.
Since President Marcos took office in the Philippines, nearly 200 protests have been lodged against China.
According to Philippine officials, a Chinese coast guard ship fired water cannons at a vessel from the Manila Bureau of Fisheries and also rammed into the ship. The vessel was delivering supplies to Filipino fishermen operating near Scarborough Shoal.
Philippine coast guard ships were also subjected to “blockade, shadowing, and dangerous maneuvers” by a Chinese navy ship, leading to shock among Philippine senior security officials.
Jonathan Malaya, spokesman for the Philippine National Security Council, stated in an interview that “We see this as a serious escalation on the part of China.”
While the Philippines intends its resupply missions in the South China Sea to be civilian in nature, the country reserves the right to deploy naval vessels, according to Malaya.
U.S. Ambassador to Manila Mary Kay Carlson expressed on the social media platform X that China’s actions have disrupted Philippine maritime activities and “endangered lives.”
Carlson said, “We condemn these actions and stand together with like-minded friends, partners, and allies in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region.”
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, including territorial waters, exclusive economic zones of countries like the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan. A 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague found that China’s sovereignty claims over much of the South China Sea lacked basis in international law, but China has refused to acknowledge the ruling.
While sovereignty over Scarborough Shoal remains unresolved, the tribunal deemed China’s blockade in the area a violation of international law. The region serves as a traditional fishing ground utilized by fishermen from multiple countries.
(This article references reports from Reuters and the Associated Press)