On March 5, 2024, a Chinese coast guard ship fired high-pressure water cannon at a Philippine supply ship Unaizah that was going to the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea to perform a supply mission. China said the United States must avoid “provoking trouble” or taking sides in the South China Sea, after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said attacks on the Philippine Coast Guard were covered by a security deal with Manila.
Adrian Portugal | Reuters
China said the United States must avoid “provoking trouble” or taking sides in the South China Sea after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said a security deal with Manila was extended to target attacks on the Philippine Coast Guard.
Blinken called the U.S. security commitment with the Philippines “ironclad” and said China’s actions in the South China Sea had triggered a broader international response.
China’s embassy in the Philippines said in a statement on Wednesday that China’s activities in the South China Sea are “lawful and legal,” adding that Blinken’s Comment “Ignoring the facts and making groundless accusations against China.”
The statement also said that Blinken once again “threatened China with the so-called mutual defense treaty obligations between the United States and the Philippines,” and China firmly opposed it.
The Philippines and the United States are bound by a 1951 mutual defense treaty, under which the two countries must support each other if the other is attacked. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. last year urged Washington to clarify the scope of the security commitment.
Blinken said on Tuesday the deal covers armed attacks on the Philippines’ armed forces, public ships and aircraft and its coast guard.
China stated that the United States threatens peace and stability in the South China Sea, is not a party to the South China Sea issue, and has no right to interfere in maritime issues between China and the Philippines.
“The U.S. keeps saying it wants to safeguard freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, but in fact it wants to protect the freedom of navigation of U.S. warships. U.S. warships and aircraft come all the way to China’s doorstep to show off.” Their power and seeking provocations and troubles are out-and-out hegemonic behaviors. “The Chinese Embassy said.
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