Philippine, Chinese FMs exchange protests over South China Sea clash

Diplomatic Tensions Flare at ASEAN Meetings

The foreign ministers of the Philippines and China exchanged "strong" protests yesterday over a confrontation between their vessels at a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, overshadowing this week's ASEAN meetings in Manila.

The Incident at Second Thomas Shoal

The confrontation occurred on Monday at Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands between Philippine marines and personnel from the China Coast Guard (CCG).

According to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), a Philippine marine sustained a significant head injury after being struck with a baton by a CCG sailor. The AFP stated that the confrontation began when a CCG boat carrying eight personnel came within close range of the BRP Sierra Madre, a grounded Philippine warship that serves as the country's outpost on the shoal. Two Philippine dinghies then attempted "calmly and non-confrontationally" to drive the CCG boat away, leading to a melee.

China disputed this account, asserting that the Philippines was to blame for instigating the incident and ramming the CCG boat.

Diplomatic Exchanges

In a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Manila, Philippine Foreign Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro reiterated the protest over the CCG's "unacceptable actions against Filipino personnel," she posted on X.

The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Lazaro "conveyed the Philippines's consistent and principled positions on the South China Sea, and raised concerns over actions that have infringed on the maritime rights and entitlements, including incidents affecting the safety of Filipino personnel." The DFA added: "The Philippines emphasized the need to exercise restraint, avoid actions that increase tensions, and resolve disputes peacefully in accordance with international law."

Protest Over AI-Generated Video

Lazaro also registered a protest over a recent AI-generated video posted online by state-controlled China Daily on July 10, which depicted the Philippines as a karaoke-singing monkey. The DFA paraphrased her as calling the 58-second video "deeply offensive, distressing, and unacceptable."

The video shows a timid monkey in Filipino traditional dress being forced by two faceless figures representing the United States and Japan to parrot the 2016 arbitral award handed down by a tribunal in The Hague.

While Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan attempted to distance his government from the video, Lazaro "emphasized that disagreements over legal and political issues do not justify resorting to disturbing imagery, drawing a firm line at the depiction of Filipinos as monkeys," the DFA stated.

China's Response

China's Foreign Ministry later said that Wang registered his own "strong protest" over the incident at Second Thomas Shoal and urged the Philippines "to immediately stop provocative actions on maritime issues and make concrete efforts to stabilize bilateral relations," according to Chinese state media.

Stating that the bilateral relationship was at a "crossroad," Wang said the Philippines needed to make a "correct and rational" choice regarding its future direction. He added that "allowing external forces to meddle in regional affairs and deliberately hyping up maritime disputes will only reduce the Philippines to a pawn manipulated by others."

Regional Reactions

The incident overshadowed this week's ASEAN-related meetings in Manila.

• Japan: Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, during a meeting with Quad partners from the U.S., Australia, and India, voiced strong opposition to any attempts to change the status quo by force in the region, including in the South China Sea.
• Australia: Foreign Minister Penny Wong concurred, adding, "We have real concerns about behavior that is destabilizing and risky."
• Canada: Foreign Minister Anita Anand described the incident as "troubling," adding, "We do not agree with intimidation as a means of addressing disputes."
• United States: Secretary of State Rubio raised the issue in a sideline meeting with Wang, stating the incident was "escalatory" and "benefited no one." He also reminded Wang that Washington had a defense treaty with Manila "and intends to abide by it."

Rubio separately met with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., during which they "underscored the importance of upholding freedoms of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea," the State Department said. They also noted the recent 10th anniversary of the Arbitral Award, which ruled that China's expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea had no basis under international law.

Despite the recent incidents, Lazaro and Wang expressed...