The Philippines on Sunday accused China of firing water cannons at one of its vessels in the disputed South China Sea. Describing the Chinese Coast Guard's actions as "illegal" and "dangerous", Manila issued a strong condemnation statement stating that Chinese coast guard ship made “excessive and offensive” use of water cannons to block a Filipino supply boat from delivering new troops, food, water and fuel to a Philippine-occupied shoal in the disputed South China Sea.
#SouthChinaSea #Beijing #China #Philippines #PhilippinesAccusesChina #WaterCannons #FilipinoBoatWaterCannons #Manila
~PR.152~ED.103~HT.96~
#SouthChinaSea #Beijing #China #Philippines #PhilippinesAccusesChina #WaterCannons #FilipinoBoatWaterCannons #Manila
~PR.152~ED.103~HT.96~
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NewsTranscript
00:00 The Philippines on Sunday accused China of firing water cannons at one of its vessels
00:06 in the disputed South China Sea.
00:08 Describing the Chinese Coast Guard's action as "illegal and dangerous," Manila issued
00:13 a strong condemnation statement stating that Chinese Coast Guard ships made "excessive
00:18 and offensive" use of water cannons to block a Filipino-supplied boat from delivering new
00:23 troops, food, water, and fuel to a Philippine-occupied shoal in the disputed South China Sea.
00:30 The latest incident happened on Saturday as the Philippine Coast Guard escorted vessels
00:34 carrying supplies for Filipino military personnel stationed at 2nd Thomas Shoal in the Spratly
00:40 Islands, known in China as the Nansha Islands.
00:44 The U.S. State Department voiced its support for the Philippines and called on China to
00:48 respect the freedom of navigation.
00:51 China has no lawful claim to the maritime area around 2nd Thomas Shoal, it said in a
00:57 statement.
00:58 Beijing claims almost all of the sea, through which trillions of dollars in trade passes
01:04 annually, and has ignored a 2016 international court ruling that its assertion has no legal
01:10 basis.
01:11 Its Coast Guard and Navy vessels routinely block or shadow Philippine ships patrolling
01:15 the contested waters, Manila says.
01:17 Saturday's incident was the first time since November 2021 that the Chinese Coast Guard
01:22 has used water cannon against a Philippine resupply mission to 2nd Thomas Shoal.
01:28 The Armed Forces of the Philippines said that Chinese Coast Guard had blocked and water
01:32 cannoned one of its chartered resupply vessels.
01:35 Due to the excessive and offensive actions, a second chartered vessel was unable to unload
01:39 its cargo for the routine troop rotation and resupply operation.
01:44 China's Coast Guard countered that it had implemented necessary controls in accordance
01:48 with law to deter Philippine ships, which it accused of trespassing and carrying illegal
01:53 building materials.
01:54 Coast Guard spokesman Geng Yu added, "China has indisputable sovereignty over the Spratly
01:59 Islands and their adjacent waters, including the 2nd Thomas Shoal."
02:04 The South China Sea has long been a source of tension between Manila and Beijing.
02:08 Beijing claims indisputable sovereignty over almost all of the 1.3 million square miles
02:13 South China Sea, as well as most of the islands within it.
02:17 That includes the Spratlys and Acapulco, consisting of hundreds of small islands and reefs also
02:22 claimed in full or part by the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan.
02:27 Manila however calls the area the West Philippine Sea.
02:30 In 1999, it internationally grounded a Navy transport ship, the BRT Sierra Madre, on 2nd
02:36 Thomas Shoal manned by Filipino Marines to enforce the country's claim to the area.
02:41 Philippine maritime authorities have accused Chinese vessels of harassing Filipino fishers
02:45 in the vicinity.
02:45 [Music]