At that time, annual ministerial meetings were held in Manila, during which the governments of Asian and Western countries once again expressed concern about China’s aggression at sea.
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The latest incident in the open sea occurred near Scarborough Shoal, the Philippine Coast Guard reported. According to officials, a Chinese Coast Guard vessel approached the Philippine government fishing vessel “BRP Datux Paduhinog” at a distance of just seven meters, performing what was described as an “irresponsible” maneuver that created a high risk of collision.
The Chinese Coast Guard reiterated its country’s sovereign control over this fishing atoll and stated that it had taken control measures against several Philippine vessels allegedly operating illegally in those waters. China claims almost the entire waterway, which is an important global trade route, despite a 2016 arbitration ruling, based on the 1982 United Nations (UN) Convention on the Law of the Sea, which found Beijing’s claims to be unfounded.
The Philippine Coast Guard strongly condemned “the dangerous and unprofessional actions of the Chinese Coast Guard.” The agency emphasized that the shoal “is an integral part of the Philippine territory, and the waters surrounding it belong to the country’s territorial sea and exclusive economic zone.”
Decades-long territorial disputes were one of the main topics at the meetings of the foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and their counterparts from Asian and Western countries. The three-day closed-door negotiations began on Tuesday in Manila. New military actions in the Middle East and the conflict in Ukraine were also discussed.
ASEAN foreign ministers discussed the South China Sea disputes on Tuesday and issued a joint communiqué. It stated that “some ministers expressed concern over land reclamation, ongoing activities, and serious incidents in the region, including actions that endanger human safety and harm the marine environment.”
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Diplomats from the 11-nation regional bloc welcomed “significant progress” in negotiations between China and ASEAN on a proposed non-aggression pact, known as a code of conduct. It aims to prevent large-scale armed confrontation in the disputed waters. The negotiations are expected to be concluded this year.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi met on Wednesday in Manila on the sidelines of ASEAN negotiations. They discussed Monday’s clash between Philippine and Chinese forces at Second Thomas Shoal, during which two Filipino sailors were injured when Chinese Coast Guard officials from another vessel attacked them with wooden poles.
Rubio called the incident “escalatory” and emphasized that disputes “must be managed very carefully, as it is clear that a conflict – economic or otherwise – between the US and China would have a dramatic impact on the entire world.”
The Trump administration has repeatedly criticized China’s aggressive actions in the South China Sea, which create tension with smaller countries such as the Philippines – Washington’s oldest treaty ally in Asia. Taiwan and ASEAN members Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei also frequently engage in tense territorial disputes.
On Thursday, according to the Philippine Coast Guard, Chinese vessels harassed two Philippine fishing boats near Scarborough Shoal, with one narrowly avoiding a water cannon strike.
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