26-3-2024 (MANILA) Deputy foreign ministers from China and the Philippines engaged in a phone call on Monday, as confirmed by both countries, following Manila’s summoning of a Chinese envoy over what it termed “aggressive actions” by the China Coast Guard in the contested waters of the South China Sea.
According to a statement from China’s foreign ministry, “Vice Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong held a phone call with Philippine deputy foreign secretary (Maria Theresa) Lazaro, and made stern representations on issues including the Philippines’ transportation of supplies to the illegally ‘beached’ military ship on Ren’ai Reef,” using the Chinese name for Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands.
Manila’s undersecretary for bilateral relations and ASEAN affairs, Maria Theresa Lazaro, expressed the Philippines’ “strongest protest against the aggressive actions undertaken by the China Coast Guard and Chinese Maritime Militia,” as stated by Manila.
The tensions between Beijing and Manila in the South China Sea have a longstanding history of maritime territorial disputes, with repeated confrontations between their vessels near contested reefs in recent months.
The most recent incident occurred on Saturday near Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands during a routine Philippine mission to resupply Filipino troops stationed on the BRP Sierra Madre, a grounded navy ship. The Philippines reported that the China Coast Guard obstructed its supply vessel and caused damage with water cannon, resulting in injuries to three soldiers.
In response, the China Coast Guard defended its actions as “lawful regulation, interception and expulsion” of a foreign vessel that “tried to forcefully intrude” into Chinese waters.
During Monday’s tense phone call, Chen conveyed to Lazaro that “China-Philippines relations are currently at a crossroads, and the Philippines must act prudently.” He urged the Philippines to “honor its commitments, respect the consensus, stop violating rights and provoking trouble at sea, stop any unilateral action that could complicate the situation, and earnestly return to the correct track of appropriately addressing disagreements through negotiation and consultation.”
