Manila, Philippines – The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) came to Washington’s defense after the latter came under fire from Beijing for condemning China’s water cannoning and cutting the anchor lines of Filipino fishers close to Escoda Shoal (Sabina Shoal) in the West Philippine Sea.
In a post on his X account (formerly Twitter), PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela said Washington was not interfering in the maritime dispute, and that calling out Beijing’s actions – which was in sync with the remarks of other nations – was warranted.
“Despite the United States being the Philippines’ oldest treaty ally, it never interfered in the maritime disputes in the South China Sea,” Tarriela said in his X post on Tuesday, Dec. 16.
“The US calling out the People’s Republic of China’s barbaric, illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive actions in the West Philippine Sea is a principled move. Every law-abiding nation is expected to stand for what is right and lawful,” he said.
After three Filipino fishermen were injured from China’s water cannon strike during a confrontation in the waters off Escoda Shoal over the weekend, the US Department of State on Dec. 14 said it was standing with its Philippine allies “as they confront China’s provocative actions and increasingly dangerous tactics against its neighbors, which undermine regional stability.”
Beijing’s foreign ministry hit back with a Chinese official telling a press conference that the “US is not a party to the South China Sea issue and has no right to interfere in the maritime issues between parties concerned.”
“The US needs to stop making fact-distorting and provocative remarks, and stop abetting and supporting the Philippines’ attempt of creating troubles in the South China Sea,” Guo Jiakun, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, was quoted as saying in a transcript provided to journalists.
Washington was not alone in condemning Beijing’s latest act of aggression in the West Philippine Sea.
In separate statements, Japan, Australia, Canada, Germany, and the European Union called for the de-escalation of the tension, asking China to refrain from the use of force or coercion especially against fishermen, and to resolve disputes peacefully. The country’s allies said they stand with Manila in protecting the rules-based international order.
“The international community is well aware of these facts and will not be misled by propaganda portraying the Philippines as the aggressor,” Tarriela said.
