The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs summoned the number two of the Chinese embassy in the Philippines after the “harassment of Philippine vessels” in the South China Sea. Tuesday April 30, Manila accused the Chinese coast guard of having fired water cannons this morning at two of its ships and blocked access to a reef disputed by the two countries.
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Zhou Zhiyong, number two at the Chinese embassy in Manila, was summoned by the Philippine Ministry of Foreign Affairs following the skirmish on April 30 near Scarborough Reef, 240 kilometers west of the main island of PhilippinesLuzon, and nearly 900 kilometers from the Chinese island of Hainan, south of mainland China.
The Philippines protests against “ harassment, (…) blockade, dangerous maneuvers, use of water cannons and other aggressive actions of Chinese coast guard and Chinese maritime militia vessels » against Philippine government vessels, wrote Philippine diplomacy in its press release.
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On Tuesday, April 30, a Philippine Coast Guard vessel and another from the Bureau of Fisheries were targeted with water cannons near the Scarborough Reef that China took control of in 2012. The pressure of the projected water was this times more powerful than in previous incidents, managing to twist or deform metal parts and equipment of Philippine ships, said Jay Tarriela, senior officer of the Philippine Coast Guard and Manila spokesperson for the South China Sea . “ This could obviously be very bruisedr,” he added, specifying that the pressure reached 14 kg per cm². However, he specified that this time there were no injuries, the crews having been ordered to take refuge inside the ships.
In recent months, tensions between China and the Philippines have reached levels not seen in years. Incidents have increased, including several collisions involving ships from both countries. This new skirmish came as Filipino and American soldiers are conducting joint military exercises until May 10, with French participation for the first time, in a context of growing assertiveness by Beijing in the region which claims sovereignty over almost entire South China Sea.
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