Tensions Between US and China Over China-Philippines Ship Collision in the South China Sea

US State Department "Support for Ally Philippines" Statement
Chinese Foreign Ministry "Unjustified Attacks on Legitimate Rights Protection"

The United States and China engaged in a war of nerves over the clash between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea, a disputed maritime area between China and Southeast Asian countries.

Chinese Coast Guard Ship Fires Water Cannon at Philippine Vessel in the South China Sea
[Photo by AP Yonhap News]

On the 5th (local time), the U.S. Department of State issued a statement affirming support for the Philippines, saying, "The United States stands with our ally the Philippines following China's provocative actions targeting the Philippines' legitimate maritime activities in the South China Sea."

It added, "Chinese vessels made dangerous maneuvers and used water cannons against Philippine vessels delivering supplies to Philippine forces aboard the BRP Sierra Madre," pointing out that "several collisions occurred, at least one Philippine vessel was damaged, and Philippine soldiers were injured."

The U.S. Department of State emphasized its condemnation of China's repeated interference with the Philippines' 'freedom of navigation' exercises conducted in international waters and the disruption of supply lines to long-standing bases.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly protested. At a regular briefing on the 6th, spokesperson Mao Ning criticized, "The U.S. Department of State distorts black and white, unjustifiably attacking China's legitimate rights protection actions and frequently invoking the U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty to threaten China." She added, "The United States should not use the Philippines as a pawn to disrupt the situation in the South China Sea, and the Philippines should not be manipulated by the United States. History teaches us that pawns on the board are ultimately discarded."

China claims about 90% of the area within the U-shaped nine-dash line in the South China Sea as its territorial waters, leading to conflicts with Southeast Asian countries such as the Philippines and Vietnam. Previously, the Philippines filed a lawsuit with the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in 2016, which ruled that China's territorial claims lack legal basis under international law; however, China has not changed its stance. The day before, a Philippine vessel conducting resupply missions near the Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands of the South China Sea collided with a Chinese Coast Guard ship, and a Philippine soldier was injured by water cannon fire from the Chinese vessel.