China Blasts ‘Premeditated’ Provocations Of US-Allied Philippines At Disputed Shoal

China continues to squabble and get in maritime incidents with US allies in regional waters of the Western Pacific. Lately it has been locked in a heightening dispute with Japan over Tokyo’s pro-Taiwan stance, but there’s been a new recent incident with The Philippines.

Beijing on Monday accused Manila of staging a “deliberate” provocation and carrying out hazardous and aggressive actions near a contested reef in the South China Sea following a tense weekend incident. China has further blamed Washington for issuing what it labeled as misleading statements that have set the region on edge.

The Philippines said Chinese coast guard vessels used water cannons against Filipino fishing boats near Sabina Shoal during an incident Friday. This led to a weekend of tit-for-tat accusations and denunciations.

China’s narrative is that it claimed Philippine personnel threatened its officers with knives. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Monday that the Philippines had deployed a large number of vessels in a coordinated and intentional effort to stir up trouble in waters near the disputed shoal.

Guo’s statement said they “repeatedly carried out dangerous maneuvers” and after knives were brandished, “The measures taken by China were necessary to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, were reasonable and lawful, professional and restrained, and beyond reproach.”

“The Philippine side should immediately cease its infringement and provocations, stop hyping and spreading inflammatory narratives, and end the endless self-staged maritime farce,” it added.

However, Western sources say it was Philippine civilians who got the worst of it, with several suffering injuries from the encounter. According to the Philippine side: 

Manila rushed two patrol boats to protect fishermen in the South China Sea after a water cannon attack from Chinese cutters that left three injured in one of the most severe incidents at Sabina Shoal this year.

According to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), the incident occurred on Friday near Sabina Shoal when several China Coast Guard (CCG) and China Maritime Militia vessels surrounded 20 Filipino fishing boats operating near the maritime feature located 75 nautical miles from the Philippine island of Palawan. CCG cutters 21559 and 21562 also deployed rigid-hulled inflated boats to cut the anchor lines of the Philippine fishermen, sending them adrift in what the PCG described as an “endangering” action.

Three Philippine citizens sustained injuries, including bruising and open wounds, according to the Philippine Coast Guard. Two fishing vessels were also damaged from the Chinese high-pressure water cannon blasts.

While the injuries don’t seem life threatening, it’s rare moment for one side to emphasize things like open wounds. But Beijing is dismissing the reports as hype and exaggeration. 

Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said in a speech in Singapore last year that Manila’s red line in dealings in such maritime clashes with China would be crossed if a Philippine citizen were killed – a position that has lately reiterated.

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The United States has also restated that its mutual defense treaty with the Philippines applies to Philippine vessels operating in the South China Sea. The State Department has made clear that Article IV of the 1951 US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty covers armed attacks on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft, including those of the Philippine Coast Guard. And this applies to anywhere in the South China Sea, the prior warning from October indicated.