The United States on Monday renewed a warning that it would defend the Philippines in case of armed attack under a 1951 treaty, after Chinese vessels intercepted and collided with two Filipino ships near a contested shoal in the South China Sea.
Philippine diplomats on Monday summoned a Chinese embassy official in Manila for a strongly worded protest after Sunday’s clashes near the Second Thomas Shoal. No injuries were reported but a Philippine coast guard ship and a timber supply boat manned by navy personnel were damaged in the collision, officials said.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called an emergency meeting with the defense secretary and other top military and security officials to discuss the latest hostilities in the disputed waters. The Philippines and China’s other neighbors have resisted Beijing’s sweeping territorial claims over virtually the entire South China Sea, and some, like Manila, have sought U.S. military assistance as the incident escalated.
After the meeting, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro blasted China in a press conference for resorting to “brute force” that he said endangered Filipino crew members and for twisting information to cover up its aggression.
