South China Sea: Philippines slams China for firing water cannons at its boats; Beijing says Manila no permission to be there

Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin tells China to ‘back off’ after it blocked two supply vessels on their way to Second Thomas Shoal

Beijing says the ships were not allowed to be in the area but it is ‘generally peaceful and tranquil’ and the two nations are still talking

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Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin. Photo: AP

Published: 9:08am, 18 Nov 2021Updated: 8:07pm, 18 Nov 2021

The Philippines condemned “in strongest terms” the actions of three Chinese coastguard vessels which blocked and used water cannons on two of its supply boats on their way to a Manila-occupied atoll in the South China Sea, its top diplomat said on Thursday.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin said no one was hurt during the November 16 incident at the Second Thomas Shoal in the contested Spratly Islands but the Philippine boats, which were transporting food supplies to military personnel based there, had to abort their mission.

“The acts of the coastguard are illegal,” Locsin said in a statement, reminding China that a public vessel is covered by the Philippines-United States Mutual Defence Treaty.

Beijing later said the two supply ships entered what it views as Chinese waters without permission.

China’s foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said later at a regular briefing that the boats entered waters near the shoal “without China’s consent” and its “coastguards, vessels, upheld China’s sovereignty in accordance with law”. The area is “generally peaceful and tranquil and the two sides maintain communication”.

Locsin said he had conveyed “in the strongest terms” to the Chinese ambassador to Manila “our outrage, condemnation and protest of the incident.” He also said he had conveyed “our outrage, condemnation and protest” to his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.