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PoliticsPhilippines

Philippines summons Chinese envoy over water cannon attack

May 2, 2024

Manila is protesting the "harassment" of Philippine vessels en route to the contested Scarborough Shoal as tensions flare up in the South China Sea.

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A Chinese Coast Guard ship, right, uses a water cannon on a Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel as it approaches Scarborough Shoal in the disputed South China Sea on Saturday Dec. 9, 2023.
China-controlled Scarborough Shoal has long been a potential flashpointImage: PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD/AP Photo/picture alliance

The Philippines on Thursday summoned a senior Chinese diplomat over Beijing's use of water cannon against Filipino vessels at a contested shoal in the South China Sea.

"The Philippines protested the harassment, ramming, swarming, shadowing and blocking, dangerous maneuvers, use of water cannons, and other aggressive actions of China Coast Guard and Chinese Maritime Militia", the Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

The Foreign Ministry said that the deputy chief of the Chinese Embassy, Zhou Zhiyong, was summoned to hear Manila's 20th protest against Beijing this year, one of 153 under the current administration.

China: Coast guard took 'necessary measures'

On Tuesday, the Philippines said the Chinese coast guard used water cannons and damaged two vessels that were on their way to the Scarborough Shoal to assist Filipino fishermen.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told the media on Tuesday that the Chinese Coast Guard took "necessary measures" against Philippine vessels that infringed on Beijing's territory.

These measures were "in accordance with the law, and the way it handled the situation was professional," Lin said, according to transcripts released by the Chinese mission in Manila. 

The China-controlled Scarborough Shoal has long been a potential flashpoint in the South China Sea.

Friction has increased recently as the Philippines takes a more assertive approach in disputed areas while bolstering alliances with the United States and Japan.

China claims sovereignty over much of the South China Sea, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. 

US, Philippines launch naval drills in South China Sea

dvv/sms (AFP, Reuters)