The United States has condemned what it described as China’s “dangerous and aggressive” actions against Philippine navy personnel following a confrontation in the disputed South China Sea, where Manila accused a Chinese coast guard officer of repeatedly striking a Filipino sailor on the head with a wooden baton.
According to Philippine authorities, the incident occurred on Monday at the Second Thomas Shoal, where the sailor was injured and a Philippine navy rubber boat was damaged during the encounter.
The clash comes ahead of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to Manila this week for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, where tensions in the South China Sea are expected to feature prominently.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is also scheduled to attend the meeting. Rubio met Wang on the sidelines of last year’s ASEAN gathering in Malaysia, while the two also spoke by phone after US President Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing earlier this year.
Rubio’s visit follows Trump’s recent accusation that Beijing had engaged in substantial interference in US elections.
The Second Thomas Shoal remains one of the most contentious flashpoints in the South China Sea. Beijing claims nearly the entire strategic waterway despite a 2016 arbitral ruling which determined that China’s sweeping claims have no basis in international law. The shoal lies within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and has witnessed repeated confrontations since 2023, with Chinese vessels accused of using water cannons, lasers and ramming tactics to obstruct Philippine resupply missions.
Under the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty between the United States and the Philippines, any serious escalation could trigger US support for its treaty ally.
Reacting to Monday’s incident, US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said Washington stood firmly behind Manila.
“We stand with our Ally, the Philippines,” Pigott said in a statement, urging Beijing to “immediately cease its destabilizing conduct” while reaffirming the 2016 arbitral ruling that rejected China’s expansive territorial claims in the South China Sea.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines said the confrontation took place near the BRP Sierra Madre, the grounded warship that Manila deliberately stationed on the Second Thomas Shoal nearly three decades ago to reinforce its territorial claim.
According to the Philippine military, a Chinese inflatable boat carrying eight personnel approached the outpost at close range and “reacted violently and aggressively” after two Philippine navy boats attempted to drive it away.
China, however, rejected the Philippine account.
The China Coast Guard alleged that Philippine dinghies had been launched “illegally” from the BRP Sierra Madre, ignored repeated warnings, and rammed one of its patrol vessels. It also accused Filipino personnel of attacking Chinese officers with oars and long sticks.
The latest confrontation complicates what Manila had hoped would be a successful week as host of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
On the sidelines of the summit, Wang is expected to meet Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro in what will be the first meeting between the two countries’ top diplomats since 2024. Rubio is also scheduled to meet Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., with the South China Sea dispute expected to dominate both engagements.
Boluwatife Enome
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