China and the Philippines exchanged fresh accusations on Thursday (March 28) after fresh skirmishes in the South China Sea, over which the two countries have competing claims, took place. On Saturday, three Filipino soldiers were injured in a skirmish with the Chinese coast guard, who blocked their ship and damaged it with powerful water cannons off one of the disputed reefs, the Second Thomas Atoll.
“We do not seek conflict with any nation, especially nations that claim to be our friends, but we will not allow ourselves to be silenced, subjugated or enslaved,” he said on Thursday. in a statement the Philippine President, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
He promised “over the coming weeks” a series of “proportionate, deliberate and reasonable responses and countermeasures to the open, relentless, illegal, coercive, aggressive and dangerous attacks by Chinese Coast Guard and China officials. Chinese maritime militia,” he said, adding, “The Filipinos will not give in. »
At almost the same time, China blamed Philippine “provocations” for the current rise in tensions. “The Philippine side’s provocations are the direct cause of the recent aggravation of the South China Sea dispute,” China’s Ministry of Commerce said in a statement. “China will not allow the Philippines to do whatever it wants and has responded reasonably and forcefully,” he added.
According to Manila, the ship attacked Saturday was conducting a routine rotation and resupply mission to Second Thomas Atoll, where Filipino soldiers are stationed in a decommissioned boat.
In recent months, Chinese ships have already used water cannons and collided with Philippine ships near the atoll, located about 200 kilometers from the western Philippine island of Palawan and more than 1,000 kilometers from Hainan Island, the nearest large Chinese territory.
Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, including waters and islands near the coasts of several neighboring countries, despite a 2016 international court ruling.
