The United States has denounced China for ramming a Philippine fisheries vessel near Pag-asa (Thitu) Island and reminded it that Washington’s defense commitments to Manila cover attacks on Philippine vessels anywhere in the South China Sea.
The statement from US State Department spokesperson Thomas Pigott came two days after a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel water-cannoned and rammed the BRP Datu Pagbuaya while it was anchored in the territorial waters off Pag-asa Island.
‘The United States condemns China’s October 12 ramming and water cannoning of a Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessel close to Thitu Island in the South China Sea,’ the US State Department said. ‘We stand with our Philippine allies as they confront China’s dangerous actions which undermine regional stability.’
China’s ‘sweeping territorial and maritime claims’ and its ‘increasingly coercive actions’ have violated its own pledges to resolve disputes peacefully and have ‘undermined regional stability,” the US State Department said.
Pigott reiterated that the 1951 US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty applies to ‘armed attacks on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft – including those of its Coast Guard – anywhere in the South China Sea.’
What happened on Sunday? Three Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessels were anchored 1.6 nautical miles from Pag-asa on a mission to support Filipino fishermen when CCG and suspected militia ships suddenly approached them, PCG spokesperson Jay Tarriela said at a briefing yesterday.
CCG vessel 21559 fired its water cannon directly at the Datu Pagbuaya, with a video clip from the PCG showing the water blast hitting the ship.
The Chinese ship afterward rammed the Datu Pagbuaya’s stern, causing minor structural damage. No crew members were hurt.
Two other Philippine fisheries vessels were also hit with water cannons but sustained no damage, Tarriela said.
The PCG spokesperson said the incident took place just 1.6 to 1.8 nautical miles from Pag-asa – making it the closest Chinese maritime harassment yet to Philippine territory.
Pag-asa Island – known internationally as Thitu – lies about 277 kilometers west of Palawan and is the largest Philippine-occupied feature in the Spratly Islands. It hosts a small civilian population and is under the jurisdiction of the Kalayaan Island Group.
The island has become a flashpoint in recent years as Chinese coast guard and militia vessels increasingly shadow or block Philippine missions in the area.