Chinese ship that sprayed Philippine boats with water cannons in the South China Sea (French)
The Philippine Foreign Ministry announced on Monday that it had summoned the Chinese ambassador in Manila to protest what it called "aggressive" moves by China against Philippine ships.
Department spokeswoman Teresita Daza said at a press conference that the Philippines lodged a diplomatic protest with China over the use of water cannons by Chinese coast guard vessels against Philippine boats.
Videos released by the Philippine Coast Guard revealed a Chinese ship spraying Filipino boats with water cannons, and then a collision occurred between the Filipino and Chinese boats, and both countries accused each other mutually in this context.
The clashes in the Scarborough Scholl and Second Thomas Scholl regions are the most intense in years between Philippine and Chinese ships, as both countries reiterate their claims to the maritime zone.
China: Philippine side disregarded international regulations, warnings At 6:39 a.m. on Sunday, Unaiza May 1, a Philippine vessel, disregarded repeated warnings by the Chinese side in violation of the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions
at Sea and... pic.twitter.com/JhKFX0fSHO
— Zhang Heqing (@zhang_heqing) December 11, 2023
Jonathan Malaya, spokesman for the National Security Council in Manila, said on Tuesday that China's "aggressive" behavior against Philippine ships in the South China Sea constituted a "dangerous escalation" by elements affiliated with Beijing.
The Philippine spokesman noted that China's claims that the United States is moving his country to incite are baseless.
Beijing claims most of China's South Sea, including waters and islands near the coasts of its neighbors, and has ignored an ICC ruling that its claims were legally unfounded.
Source: Agencies