Philippines summons Chinese envoy over sea confrontations: foreign ministry

Philippines summons Chinese envoy over sea confrontations: foreign ministry

on December 11, 2023

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This frame grab from handout video footage taken and released on December 10, 2023 by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) shows a China Coast Guard Vessel (C) allegedly ramming the Unaizah Mae 1 chartered supply boat during a mission to deliver provisions at Second Thomas Shoal in disputed waters of the South China Sea. A Philippine boat was “rammed” by a Chinese coast guard ship during a resupply mission on December 10, the Philippine coast guard said, in the latest such confrontation in the disputed South China Sea. The Philippine Coast Guard also said a Chinese ship “water cannoned” three Philippine vessels involved in the resupply mission, causing “serious engine damage” to one of the boats. (Photo by Handout / Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) / AFP)

MANILA, Dec 11, 2023 (AFP)  – The Philippines has summoned China’s envoy, the foreign ministry said Monday, following two days of confrontations between the countries’ vessels in the disputed South China Sea.

Diplomatic protests had been filed and “the Chinese ambassador has also been summoned”, foreign ministry spokeswoman Teresita Daza told reporters.

Videos released by the Philippine Coast Guard showed Chinese ships blasting water cannon at Philippine boats during two separate resupply missions to flashpoint reefs on Saturday and Sunday.

There was also a collision between Philippine and Chinese boats, with both countries trading blame for the incident.

The confrontations at Scarborough Shoal and Second Thomas Shoal were the most intense between Philippine and Chinese vessels in years, as the countries seek to assert their maritime territorial claims.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, including waters and islands near the shores of its neighbours, and has ignored an international tribunal ruling that its assertions have no legal basis.

It deploys boats to patrol the busy waterway and has built artificial islands that it has militarised to reinforce its claims.