Current:Home > StocksTradeEdge-US and Philippines condemn China coast guard’s dangerous water cannon blasts against Manila’s ships -Capitatum
TradeEdge-US and Philippines condemn China coast guard’s dangerous water cannon blasts against Manila’s ships
Fastexy View
Date:2025-04-06 08:34:13
MANILA,TradeEdge Philippines (AP) — The Philippines and its treaty ally, the United States, separately condemned a high-seas assault Saturday by the Chinese coast guard together with suspected militia ships that repeatedly blasted water cannons to block three Philippine fisheries vessels from a disputed shoal in the South China Sea.
The noontime assault by China’s ships off the Scarborough Shoal, one of the most aggressive this year, caused “significant damage” to the communication and navigation equipment of one of the three Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources ships of the Philippines, Filipino officials said.
They said without elaborating that suspected militia vessels accompanying Chinese coast guard ships used a long-range acoustic device that could impair hearing causing “severe temporary discomfort and incapacitation to some Filipino crew.”
It’s the latest flare out of the long-seething territorial disputes in the South China Sea, a flashpoint in Asia that has put the U.S. and China on a collision course. China claims virtually the entire strategic waterway, but the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have also pressed their separate claims.
Territorial standoffs between China and the Philippines over a number of disputed offshore areas, including the Scarborough and the Second Thomas shoals, have been particularly heated this year. The U.S. has warned that it’s obligated to defend the Philippines, its longtime treaty ally, if Filipino forces, aircraft and ships come under an armed attack, including in the South China Sea.
China has warned the U.S. to stay away from what it calls a purely Asian dispute. It has deployed ships and aircraft to closely shadow U.S. Navy ships and aircraft which periodically undertake freedom of navigation and overflight patrols in one of the world’s most hotly disputed seas.
A Philippine government task force that deals with the long-seething territorial disputes said Saturday it “vehemently condemns the illegal and aggressive actions carried out by the Chinese coast guard and Chinese maritime militia against the civilian Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessels.”
U.S. Ambassador to Manila MaryKay Carlson condemned the People’s Republic of China’s “aggressive, illegal actions against the Philippine BFAR vessels lawfully operating in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.”
“This PRC behavior violates international law and endangers lives and livelihood,” Carlson said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “We stand with our Philippine friends, partners, allies in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
There was no immediate reaction from Chinese officials.
The Philippine fisheries bureau’s ships sailed to the Scarborough Shoal to provide humanitarian aid, mainly free fuel and Christmas grocery packs, to poor Filipino fishermen onboard nearly 30 boats in the rich but far-flung fishing area, Philippine officials said.
The swarm of Chinese coast guard and accompanying ships took dangerously aggressive actions, including the use of water cannons at least eight times, as the Philippine government ships approached about 2.6 kilometers to 3.5 kilometers (1.6 to 2 miles) from Scarborough Shoal, Philippine officials said.
They added that the Chinese coast guard installed a floating barrier at an entrance to the vast fishing lagoon of Scarborough Shoal and deployed personnel aboard small motor boats to drive away Filipino fishermen waiting for the distribution of fuel and food supplies at sea.
“To prevent the distribution of humanitarian support is not only illegal but also inhumane,” the Philippine government task force said.
In past faceoffs in the high seas off disputed shoals, the Chinese coast guard has used a military-grade laser that caused Filipino crewmen temporary blindness and resorted to dangerous blocking and shadowing maneuvers, including one that caused minor collisions.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has allowed a larger U.S. military presence in local military bases under a 2014 defense pact partly to strengthen territorial defense amid China’s increasingly aggressive actions in the disputed waters. China has strongly opposed and expressed alarm over increasing deployments of U.S. forces, warning that it would threaten regional peace and stability.
The Philippines has also launched joint sea and air patrols separately with the U.S. and Australia and plans to expand this to a multilateral patrol, possibly including Japan and other like-minded nations to deter aggression in the South China Sea, National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano told reporters last week.
veryGood! (269)
prev:Travis Hunter, the 2
next:Small twin
Related
- What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
- Fitch just downgraded the U.S. credit rating — how much does it matter?
- Father dies after rescuing his three children from New Jersey waterway
- Leah Remini files lawsuit against Church of Scientology after 'years of harassment'
- Sam Taylor
- Can dehydration cause fever? What to know about dehydration and symptoms to watch for
- Republicans don’t dare criticize Trump over Jan. 6. Their silence fuels his bid for the White House
- 2 US Navy sailors arrested for allegedly spying for China
- Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
- Man linked to 1984 kidnapping and rape by DNA testing sentenced to 25 years
Ranking
- Have Dry, Sensitive Skin? You Need To Add These Gentle Skincare Products to Your Routine
- 'An existential crisis': Florida State president, Board of Trustees low on ACC future
- Family of a Black man killed during a Minnesota traffic stop asks the governor to fire troopers
- Singapore executes third prisoner in 2 weeks for drug trafficking
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- Police step up security, patrol courthouse ahead of Trump appearance. Follow live updates
- Former Maryland college town mayor pleads guilty to child sex abuse material charges
- Federal funds will pay to send Iowa troops to the US-Mexico border, governor says
Recommendation
Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
George Clooney, Meryl Streep among stars giving $1M to help struggling actors amid strike
Fitch downgraded U.S. debt, and the stock market slid. Here's what it means.
Lindsay Lohan Shares Postpartum Photo and Message on Loving Her Body After Welcoming Baby Boy
Will the 'Yellowstone' finale be the last episode? What we know about Season 6, spinoffs
The US wants Kenya to lead a force in Haiti with 1,000 police. Watchdogs say they’ll export abuse
Texas Medicaid dropped more than 500,000 enrollees in one month
Childcare worker charged in Australia with sex crimes against 91 young girls