Chinese coast guard ships fired water cannons at a Philippine coast guard ship. Philippine Coast Guard photo.
The Philippine Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Thursday that it has summoned a high-ranking official of the Chinese embassy due to the constant pursuit of a Philippine ship in the South China Sea.
The Philippines has protested the pursuit, ramming, encirclement, tracking and blocking of ships, the use of dangerous maneuvers and water cannons, and other aggressive actions against Philippine government ships by Chinese coast guard and Chinese military forces, the statement said.
Manila said it has detained China’s deputy ambassador, Zhou Zhiyong, over the April 30 incident in which the Chinese Coast Guard fired water cannons at two Philippine ships off Scarborough Shoal, damaging them alone.
China’s aggressive actions, especially with the use of water cannons, damaged vessels of the Philippine Coast Guard and the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. The Philippines demanded that the Chinese ships immediately leave Bado de Masinlok and its surroundings, the statement said, using the Filipino name for the shoal.
The Chinese embassy did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Manila and Beijing have long had territorial defenses in the South China Sea, and in recent months there have been several clashes between Philippine and Chinese vessels, including one in which Chinese coast guard vessels used water cannons.
The latest incident took place near the Chinese-controlled Scarborough Shoal, which has become a potential hotbed for a Philippine airstrike mission.
The representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lin Jian, told reporters on Tuesday that the Chinese Coast Guard will take necessary measures against Philippine ships that entered Beijing’s territory.
these measures were in line with the law, and the situation was handled professionally, Lin Jian said, citing transcripts released by the Chinese Embassy in Manila.
Tuesday’s incident took place during major annual military exercises between the Philippines and the United States, much to the chagrin of Beijing.
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