Philippines Summons Chinese Diplomats to Protest Against Use of Water Cannons Against Ships in the South China Sea

Illustration of the Chinese coast guard ship. (Wikimedia Commons/Coast Guard/Cutter Morgenthau)

JAKARTA - The Philippines summoned Chinese diplomats on Thursday to protest Beijing's use of water cannons against Philippine ships in disputed shallow waters in the South China Sea, describing it as harassment and a "dangerous maneuver".

The Philippines' foreign ministry said the deputy head of China's diplomatic mission was summoned to hear the Philippines' 20th protest against Beijing this year, one of 153 under the current administration, over the behavior of coast guards and fishing vessels that Manila says are militia. .

"The Philippines protests the harassment, ramming, mobbing, shadowing and blocking, dangerous maneuvers, use of water cannons and other aggressive actions by the Chinese Coast Guard and Chinese maritime militia," the Philippines said in a statement, urging the ships to leave the waters, reported by Reuters, May 2.

Manila accused Beijing of escalating tensions in the South China Sea, after its coast guard used water cannon and damaged two of its vessels while en route to the shallow waters of Scarborough Shoal on Tuesday to help Filipino fishermen.

The shallow area has been a point of conflict between the Philippines and China for years. Tensions have risen there recently as the Philippines has taken a more assertive approach in the disputed region, while strengthening alliances with the United States and Japan.

A major fishing area used by several countries and close to major shipping lanes, these shallow waters fall within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone and are claimed by China, although neither country has sovereignty over the area.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Embassy in Manila on Wednesday said the atoll has always been Chinese territory, urging the Philippines to stop violations and provocations and not "challenge China's determination to defend our sovereignty".

The Bamboo Curtain country is known to claim sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, which is the world's main trade route with annual tilapia reaching more than 3 trillion US dollars, including areas claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam.

An international court in 2016 said China's expansive claims had no legal basis, a ruling rejected by Beijing.