Philippines claims China used water cannon on boats in South China Sea

China’s coast guard accused the Philippines vessels of trespassing and transporting illicit construction materials

File. Members of the Philippine Coast Guard take part in a simulation during a trilateral maritime exercise with Japan and USA coast guard on 6 June 2023, 15 nautical miles off the coast of Bataan province, western Philippines. The drills that took place in waters facing South China Sea included maneuverings, maritime law enforcement, and search and rescue at sea (Getty Images)

The Philippines accused China’s coast guard of obstructing and employing water cannons against a Philippine military supply boat in the South China Sea on Sunday.

The Philippines condemned these actions as “excessive and offensive” toward its vessels.

China’s coast guard responded by asserting that it had applied requisite measures in compliance with the law to prevent Philippine vessels, which it accused of trespassing and transporting illicit construction materials.

“The Philippine Coast Guard [PCG] strongly condemns the China Coast Guard’s [CCG] dangerous manoeuvres and illegal use of water cannons against the PCG vessels,” the Philippine coast guard said in a statement.

“Such actions by the CCG not only disregarded the safety of the PCG crew and the supply boats but also violated international law.”

The Armed Forces of the Philippines denounced this action as “wanton disregard of the safety of the people on board and in violation of international law”.

The Philippine Coast Guard “calls on the China Coast Guard to restrain its forces, respect the sovereign rights of the Philippines in its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, refrain from hampering freedom of navigation, and take appropriate actions against the individuals involved in this unlawful incident”, a spokesman, Commodore Jay Tarriela said in a statement.

The US state department also said that China’s “repeated threats to the status quo in the South China Sea (were) directly threatening regional peace and stability” and that Washington stands with its Philippine allies in the face of such “dangerous actions”.

“The United States reaffirms an armed attack on Philippine public vessels, aircraft, and armed forces — including those of its Coast Guard in the South China Sea —- would invoke US mutual defence commitments under Article IV of the 1951 US Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty,” it said in a statement.

Meanwhile, China Coast Guard spokesman Gan Yu said that China has “indisputable” sovereignty over the Spratly Islands and their adjacent waters, including the Second Thomas Shoal. “We urge the Philippine side to immediately stop its infringing activities in this waters,” Mr Gan posted on the coast guard’s WeChat social media account.

Additional reporting by agencies.