On the 25th, the Philippine government summoned a senior official from the Chinese embassy and warned them against aggressive action, saying that three military personnel aboard a transport ship were injured when water cannons were fired from a Chinese Coast Guard ship in the South China Sea. They announced that they strongly protested that it be stopped.
On the 23rd, in the waters of Second Thomas Reef in the South China Sea, where the Philippines and China dispute territorial rights, a cargo ship headed for a Philippine military base was damaged by a water cannon fired from a Chinese Coast Guard ship, killing the crew. Three people were injured.
According to the Philippine government, all three of the injured were Navy personnel.
In this area, water cannons were fired from a Chinese Coast Guard ship on March 5th, injuring four Philippine Navy personnel, and the Philippine Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in Manila on the 25th. It announced that it had summoned a senior official from a Chinese embassy and strongly protested that the offensive actions be stopped.
According to the Philippine government, on the 23rd, in addition to firing water cannons and approaching ships, the Chinese Coast Guard set up floating obstacles at the entrance to the reef where the Philippine military is based. It is said that the replenishment operations were obstructed.
The Chinese government claims that it has sovereignty over the sea area, but Philippine Defense Minister Teodoro said, ``If China is truly unafraid to make its claims known to the whole world, then international Why don't we use arbitration under the law to clarify whose rights belong to us?''