Philippines summons Beijing envoy over South China Sea water cannon assault | South China Sea Information

Manila says the confrontation close to Second Thomas Shoal wounded three of its troopers and prompted extreme harm to its vessel.

The Philippines has summoned Beijing’s envoy after accusing the Chinese language Coast Guard of wounding three of its troopers throughout a water cannon assault within the disputed South China Sea.

The Philippines’ Division of Overseas Affairs, in a press release on Monday, stated Manila conveyed its “robust protest towards the aggressive actions” undertaken by China’s Coast Guard and Chinese language maritime militias towards the Philippine mission close to the Second Thomas Shoal within the South China Sea.

The division stated it has additionally instructed its mission in Beijing to lodge a proper criticism over the incident.

The transfer comes a day after Philippines’ Nationwide Safety Adviser Eduardo Ano stated the confrontation wounded three Filipino troopers prompted extreme harm to the Unaizah Could 4 vessel.

Ano didn’t reveal the extent and nature of their accidents, although the navy stated the personnel have been handled on board a coastguard escort ship.

The Second Thomas Shoal, often known as Ayungin within the Philippines, has been the scene of repeated confrontations between Chinese language and Philippine vessels over the previous 12 months. The confrontation on Saturday marked the second time that Unaizah Could 4 has been broken by the Chinese language coastguard’s water cannon assault on the far-flung shoal in March.

The shoal has been occupied by a small contingent of the Philippine Navy and marines on a marooned warship since 1999. The sailors, who require common resupply missions to outlive their distant project, have been surrounded by Chinese language coastguard and suspected militia vessels in an more and more tense territorial standoff.

China claims nearly your complete South China Sea, dismissing rival claims from different international locations, together with the Philippines, regardless of a world ruling that its assertion has no authorized foundation.

China’s Ministry of Nationwide Protection on Sunday warned the Philippines towards “provocative” actions within the South China Sea and pledged to safeguard Beijing’s territorial sovereignty.

“We warn the Philippines to cease making any remarks that will result in the intensification of conflicts and escalation of the state of affairs, and cease all infringing and provocative actions,” the ministry stated in a press release.

“If the Philippines repeatedly challenges China’s backside line, China will proceed to take agency and decisive measures to firmly safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and pursuits,” the assertion added.

The repeated high-seas confrontations have raised fears they might degenerate into a bigger battle that would carry China and the Philippines’ treaty ally United States right into a collision.

Washington lays no claims to the busy seaway, a key international commerce route, however has deployed Navy ships and fighter jets in what it calls “freedom of navigation” operations, which China has criticised.

The US has additionally warned repeatedly that it’s obligated to defend the Philippines – its oldest treaty ally in Asia – if Philippine forces, ships or plane come underneath an armed assault, together with within the South China Sea.

US State Division spokesman Matthew Miller stated in a press release on Saturday that the US “stands with its ally the Philippines and condemns the damaging actions by the Folks’s Republic of China (PRC) towards lawful Philippine maritime operations within the South China Sea on March 23”.

He stated the Chinese language ships’ “repeated employment of water cannons and reckless blocking maneuvers resulted in accidents to Filipino service members and important harm to their resupply vessel, rendering it motionless”.