Beijing said it summoned the Philippine ambassador to China on Tuesday following a maritime encounter a day earlier between the two countries near the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.
China and the Philippines exchanged accusations after the incident in contested South China Sea waters, with Manila claiming a Philippine navy personnel was hit on the head during the confrontation, while Beijing accused the Philippines of provoking the encounter.
“The Philippine side provoked the incident first, yet has turned around and made counter-accusations, distorted the facts and engaged in malicious hype,” the Chinese foreign ministry said.
The Accusations
The China Coast Guard (CCG) said on Monday two rubber boats sent by the Philippines’ grounded vessel BRP Sierra Madre rammed into a Chinese patrol boat in the South China Sea and the Philippine personnel initiated “malicious attacks” against Chinese law enforcement officers by using oars and long sticks.
China’s foreign ministry called the actions taken by the Philippines “egregious in nature.”
Manila previously accused Beijing of aggressively striking one of its navy staff on the head with a wooden baton during Monday’s encounter and said one navy rubber boat was damaged.
Defending Actions
In a separate statement on Tuesday, the CCG said China permitted the Philippine side to transfer the injured personnel through small shuttle boats from the grounded Philippine warship “out of humanitarian consideration.”
“The CCG inquired and verified the Philippine boats, and monitored the whole process,” CCG spokesperson Jiang Lue said, adding China will continue to carry out “rights-protection and law-enforcement operations” in waters near the Second Thomas Shoal, the contested area.
The Philippines embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the CCG and Chinese foreign ministry statements.
The Philippine military on Tuesday called China’s claims “false and misleading”, saying its personnel did not initiate any confrontation.
(With inputs from Reuters)
