Philippines Accuses China of Aggressive Behavior in South China Sea

The Philippines has accused China’s coast guard of firing water cannons and sideswiping a Philippine patrol vessel in the South China Sea, in an incident that has escalated tensions in the disputed region. According to the Philippine Coast Guard, the incident occurred on November 16, when a Philippine patrol vessel was conducting a maritime patrol mission in the vicinity of Ayungin Shoal, a submerged reef in the Spratly Islands. The Philippine Coast Guard said that the Chinese coast guard vessel, with bow number 5204, fired water cannons at the Philippine patrol vessel, and then sideswiped it. The incident was caught on camera, and footage has been released by the Philippine Coast Guard. The Philippine government has condemned the incident, with the Department of Foreign Affairs saying that it ‘strongly protests’ the actions of the Chinese coast guard. ‘The actions of the Chinese coast guard are a clear violation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC),’ the department said in a statement. The incident is the latest in a series of confrontations between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea, which is a major shipping lane and is believed to be rich in oil and gas reserves. China claims nearly the entire South China Sea, while the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei also have overlapping claims. The incident has sparked concerns about the safety of Philippine vessels and personnel in the region. ‘We will not be intimidated by these aggressive actions,’ Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson, Commodore Armando Balilo, said in a statement. ‘We will continue to perform our duties to protect our territory and our people.’ The incident has also been condemned by the United States, which has a defense treaty with the Philippines. ‘The United States is concerned by reports of the Chinese coast guard’s aggressive behavior in the South China Sea,’ a State Department spokesperson said in a statement. ‘We call on China to refrain from using coercion or intimidation to assert its claims in the South China Sea.’ The incident has sparked a diplomatic row between the Philippines and China, with the Philippine government summoning the Chinese ambassador to protest the incident. China has denied any wrongdoing, with the Chinese Foreign Ministry saying that the Philippine patrol vessel had ‘illegally entered’ Chinese waters. The incident is likely to further strain relations between the Philippines and China, which have been tense in recent years due to competing claims in the South China Sea. Sources: Philippine Coast Guard, Department of Foreign Affairs, State Department, Reuters, AP News.