The US State Department strongly condemned China’s “dangerous and aggressive” actions against Philippine personnel at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea (called Ren’ai Reef by China), urging China to immediately halt actions that undermine regional stability.
In a statement published Monday on its official website, the US State Department said China’s “troubling pattern of provocations” against the Philippines’ legitimate maritime operations undermines regional peace and stability and directly contravenes China’s repeated commitments to peacefully resolving disputes.
The statement emphasized that the United States stands with its ally, the Philippines, and commended the professionalism and restraint demonstrated by Philippine naval personnel during the incident. “We reaffirm the July 2016 arbitral tribunal ruling, which found China’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea have no basis in international law and are legally binding on both China and the Philippines,” the US pledged, adding that it will continue working with allies and partners to defend a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
The Philippine military said that an 8-person Chinese Coast Guard rigid-hulled inflatable boat approached a grounded Philippine warship to take photographs. When the Philippine side dispatched two small boats in an attempt to drive them away, the Chinese personnel “responded violently and aggressively, beating Philippine navy personnel with sticks,” resulting in one Philippine sailor injured and one inflatable boat damaged.
The China Coast Guard issued a statement late Monday, accusing the Philippine side of “distorting the facts and making false accusations against the Chinese side.” The statement asserted that two Philippine inflatable boats ignored repeated and clear warnings from China, approached rapidly and in a dangerous manner to surround and ram the Chinese patrol boat, and that Philippine personnel were the first to use paddles, long sticks, and other tools to “maliciously attack” Chinese law enforcement officials.