Tension at sea: Chinese ship fires water cannon at Philippine vessel
While international attention is focused on the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas conflicts, another tension is causing concern in a different region… Chinese officials released a statement saying, “The Philippines must immediately cease these provocative actions and refrain from shooting itself in the foot.”
Yesterday, tension escalated in the South China Sea between China and the Philippines. In the disputed South China Sea, a supply ship belonging to the Philippines was aggressively intervened by the Chinese navy while advancing to deliver equipment to soldiers at Second Thomas Shoal.
As the incident quickly escalated, Chinese officials stated, “The Philippines must immediately cease these provocative actions and refrain from shooting itself in the foot.” In the statement, it was also implied that the Philippines was collaborating with other countries, without specifying any country names.
The United States also responded strongly to the situation. The U.S. released a statement saying, “China is jeopardizing Philippine maritime operations and regional stability. Beijing must stop its dangerous and destabilizing moves in the South China Sea.”
Philippine leader Ferdinand Marcos Jr. commented, “The presence of China’s coast guard and navy in our waters is illegal and a violation of international laws.”
Today, the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs took a much stronger diplomatic step. In the statement, it was mentioned that the Chinese Ambassador to Manila was summoned to the ministry, and a diplomatic note was handed over.
