The injured marine, as described in a video shared by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), said, “I just want to protect our country,” showing his determination to defend Philippine sovereignty during a recent clash in the South China Sea.
Aggressive encounter near Philippine outpost
A recent incident occurred when a China Coast Guard (CCG) rigid-hull inflatable boat came close to the BRP Sierra Madre, a grounded Philippine warship that functions as a de facto military outpost for Manila on Second Thomas Shoal. The AFP reported that the CCG vessel circled the area, collecting visual evidence through photos and video. In response, two Philippine Navy rubber boats were deployed to keep the CCG vessel at a distance. The situation quickly deteriorated, leading to direct conflict between the sides.
The AFP claimed that during the exchange, Chinese personnel used a wooden baton to strike a marine in the head, causing significant injury. The armed forces released a video that showed Chinese patrol boats ramming a Philippine dinghy and both sides exchanging physical aggression, using oars and batons.
The marine who was injured was taken back to the BRP Sierra Madre for urgent medical attention. Additionally, the incident reportedly damaged one of the Philippine Navy’s rubber boats. The escalating violence has heightened tensions at Second Thomas Shoal, which has been a focal point of disputes between China and the Philippines.
Conflicting narratives from each side
The Chinese Coast Guard has pushed back against the Philippine account, insisting that its actions were “maximum rationality and restraint.” In a statement, the Chinese Embassy in Manila accused the Philippines of spreading “false propaganda” and stated that two rubber dinghies from the BRP Sierra Madre were launched “illegally,” contributing to the confrontation.
According to the CCG, the Philippine rubber dinghies ignored repeated warnings and advanced toward the Chinese patrol vessel from the front, leading to a collision. The CCG claimed that Philippine personnel were the first to attack by using oars and other objects to “maliciously” target Chinese law enforcement officers.
To support its version, the CCG shared a set of videos that appear to capture Philippine rubber boats approaching their RHIB. In the footage, Philippine crew members are shown using oars to wave the Chinese vessel off, while CCG personnel brandish batons in response.
Legal claims complicate the dispute
The validity of each side’s actions is deeply tied to the disputed waters and the legal frameworks in place. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) ruled in favor of the Philippines, declaring that China’s expansive “nine-dash line” had no legal basis. The tribunal also affirmed that Second Thomas Shoal is within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone and continental shelf.
Last week, 14 countries, including the 27-nation European Union, reaffirmed their support for the tribunal’s ruling, labeling it “final and legally binding” and criticizing any actions that could destabilize the region. China has firmly rejected the tribunal’s decision, dismissing it as “null and void” and even hinting that the United States and Japan encouraged the Philippines to file its case in 2013.
The ongoing dispute remains a potential flashpoint, with the recent clash marking a dramatic shift from a period of relative calm at the shoal. As tensions rise, both nations continue to defend their territorial and maritime claims, further complicating an already delicate situation in the South China Sea.
Foreign ministers exchange strong protests
The foreign ministers of the Philippines and China yesterday exchanged “strong” protests over an encounter between the two countries’ vessels at a disputed shoal in the South China Sea earlier this week. In a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Manila, Foreign Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro reiterated the protest over China Coast Guard (CCG)’s “unacceptable actions against Filipino personnel,” she said in a post on X.
The incident in question took place on Monday at Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands, during a confrontation between Philippine marines and personnel from the CCG. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) claimed that a Philippine marine sustained a significant head injury after being struck with a baton by a CCG sailor. According to the AFP, the confrontation took place after a CCG boat carrying eight personnel came within close range of the BRP Sierra Madre, a grounded Philippine warship that serves as the Philippines’ outpost on the shoal. Two Philippine dinghies then attempted “calmly and non-confrontationally” to drive it away, and a melee ensued.
China disputed this claim, asserting that the Philippines side was to blame for instigating the incident and ramming the CCG boat. During her meeting with Wang, 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 Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement. “The Philippines emphasized the need to exercise restraint, avoid actions that increase tensions, and resolve disputes peacefully in accordance with international law.”
Lazaro also registered her protest over a recent AI-generated video that depicted the Philippines as a karaoke-singing monkey. The 58-second video, which was posted online by the state-controlled China Daily on July 10, was “deeply offensive, distressing, and unacceptable,” the DFA paraphrased her as saying. 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 arbitral award that was handed down by a tribunal in The Hague in 2016.
While Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan attempted to distance his government from the China Daily 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 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,” Chinese state media reported. Stating that the bilateral relationships was at a “crossroad,” Wang said that 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.”
The incident near Second Thomas Shoal overshadowed this week’s ASEAN-related meetings in Manila. During a meeting with his Quad partners from the U.S, Australia, and India, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi voiced strong opposition to any attempts to change the status quo by force in the region, including in the South China Sea. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong concurred, adding that “We have real concerns about behavior that is destabilizing and risky.” Canada’s Foreign Minister Anita Anand also described the incident near Second Thomas Shoal as “troubling,” adding, “We do not agree with intimidation as a means of addressing disputes.” U.S. Secretary of State Rubio raised the issue in his own sideline meeting with Wang yesterday, stating that 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 in its official readout. They also noted the recent 10th anniversary of Arbitral Award in the South China Sea, which ruled that China’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea had no basis under international law. In spite of the recent incidents, Lazaro and Wang expressed their “continued willingness” to conclude negotiations on the long-expected ASEAN-China Code of Conduct for the South China Sea, according to the Philippine DFA. They also “underscored the importance of maintaining open channels of communication, enhancing mutual understanding, and managing differences through dialogue and cooperation to safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea,” the DFA stated.