The Philippines has said it summoned China’s ambassador and was considering the possibility of expulsion after two confrontations with Chinese ships over the weekend in the disputed South China Sea.
Manila said its vessels were hit by Chinese water cannon on Saturday as they tried to send supplies to Filipino fishermen at Scarborough Shoal, which was seized by Beijing in 2012 after a months-long stand-off.
Meanwhile, on Sunday ships trying to resupply sailors on board the grounded Sierra Madre on Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands were also hit by a water cannon amid a collision with the Chinese coastguard that Beijing blamed on Manila.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Teresita Daza told a news conference on Monday that Manila had filed new diplomatic protests over the incidents and the Chinese ambassador has also been summoned.
“The aggression and provocations perpetrated by the China Coast Guard and their Chinese Maritime Militia against our vessels and personnel over the weekend have only further steeled our determination to defend and protect our nation’s sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea,” Marcos said in a statement posted in his social media accounts late on Sunday evening.
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