On Tuesday, July 21, the Office of the Philippine President announced that they had summoned the Chinese Ambassador to Manila, Zhao Jian, to protest against a recent standoff between the two countries in the disputed waters of the South China Sea which resulted in an injury to a Filipino Navy personnel. Concurrently, the Philippine Ambassador to Beijing was also summoned by the Chinese authorities in a reciprocal manner.
Despite frequent maritime standoffs between the two countries, such diplomatic summons are considered rare occurrences.
The Philippine military on Monday, July 20, accused the Chinese coast guard of using sticks to attack Filipino navy personnel at the Second Thomas Shoal, also known as Ayungin Shoal, in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, causing a sailor to sustain a head injury.
Following the incident, the United States and Australia have both condemned China’s provocative actions. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi are expected to attend a meeting led by ASEAN in the coming days and may have a meeting during the summit. Other countries such as India, Japan, Australia, South Korea, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the European Union will also be in attendance.
Upon Pompeo’s arrival in Manila on Tuesday, he wrote a commentary in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, a major English-language newspaper in the Philippines, without directly naming China but indirectly criticizing Beijing’s authorities by reaffirming the “US commitment to freedom of navigation in Southeast Asia.”
He also warned, “This freedom is not a given. If the waters fall under the control of a major power willing to use commerce as a geopolitical weapon, the sovereignty, security, and economic prospects of the United States and ASEAN countries will face a serious new threat.”
The US State Department also issued a statement on Monday condemning China’s “dangerous and provocative” actions, noting that “China’s worrisome pattern of provocations against lawful Philippine maritime activities undermines regional peace and stability, and directly contradicts its repeated commitment to peacefully resolve disputes.”
During her attendance at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Manila, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong also criticized China’s actions against Philippine vessels as “destabilizing and dangerous behavior.”