Philippines summons China envoy over water cannon incident in disputed sea

Manila [Philippines]: A day after Chinese coastguards halted and fired water cannons at Philippine ships in the disputed South China Sea, Manila summoned Beijing’s envoy, according to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Al Jazeera said.

“Our secretary of foreign affairs summoned Ambassador Huang today and gave him a note verbale, including pictures, video about what happened and we are awaiting their reply,” Marcos told reporters on Monday.

According to Al Jazeera, the Philippines accused China’s coastguard on Saturday of deploying water cannons to stop its ships from delivering food, water, fuel, and other supplies to its military soldiers stationed at Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands.
Manila condemned the actions as illegal, “excessive” and “dangerous”.

A top Philippines official declared on Monday that Manila would “never abandon” the Second Thomas Shoal, which is more than 1,000 kilometres (miles) away from China’s nearest major landmass, Hainan Island, and about 200 kilometres (124 miles) from the Philippine island of Palawan.

“For the record, we will never abandon Ayungin Shoal. We are committed to Ayungin Shoal,” National Security Council spokesman Jonathan Malaya told reporters, using the Philippine name for Second Thomas Shoal, Al Jazeera reported.

Beijing has disregarded a 2016 decision from an international court finding that its claim to practically all of the South China Sea, through which trillions of dollars in trade flow every year, has legal standing.

China said it had taken “necessary controls” against Philippines boats that had “illegally” entered its waters.

The Philippines says it will continue to assert its sovereignty and territorial rights in the South China Sea, Al Jazeera reported.

“The position of China, of course, is they say ‘this is ours so we are defending it’ and we, for our part, are saying ‘no, we own it so we are defending it’. So that becomes a grey area that we are discussing,” the Philippines president said.

Two of the vessels were chartered by the Philippine Navy to supply provisions to the BRP Sierra Madre, which is a resting ship anchored at the Second Thomas Shoal. Two coastguard vessels were escorting the chartered vessels. About 90 nautical miles [167km] off Palawan six Chinese coastguard vessels and two Chinese fishing militia vessels started shadowing the vessels, Al Jazeera reported.

The US State Department on Sunday condemned the Chinese actions, saying they were carried out by the coastguard and “maritime militia”,  threatening regional peace and stability.

The United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and the European Union also criticised Beijing’s actions.

Manila and Beijing have a long history of maritime disputes over the South China Sea.
Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who was in power from 2016 to 2022, was reluctant to criticise his more powerful neighbour as he sought closer ties with Beijing in the hope of attracting investment, Al Jazeera reported.

Marcos has insisted since succeeding Duterte in June last year that he will not let China trample on his country’s maritime rights.

He has gravitated towards the US, seeking to strengthen defence ties with the Philippines’ former colonial ruler and longtime ally.