Manila, July 28 (IANS) The Philippines and China have made “strong” protests over an encounter between the vessels of the two countries in South China Sea waters.
The protests were exchanged during a meeting between Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Foreign Ministers’ meetings on East Asia cooperation in Manila.
During the meeting, Lazaro reiterated the Philippines’ strong protest over China’s actions against Philippine personnel near Ayungin Shoal and the image in the China Daily video.
Following the meeting, Lazaro, in a post on X, wrote, “I met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the ASEAN meetings for candid discussions on Philippines-China relations. I reiterated our strong protest over the unacceptable actions against Filipino personnel near Ayungin Shoal, and the disturbing imagery in China Daily video. At the same time, we discussed the importance of keeping communication lines open, managing tensions, and pursuing practical ways forward.”
During the meeting, Wang lodged a strong protest against Philippine personnel ramming a Chinese law enforcement vessel at Ren’ai Jiao.
“On July 22, 2026, on the sidelines of the foreign ministers’ meetings on East Asia cooperation in Manila, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines Ma. Theresa Lazaro upon request, elaborating on China’s solemn position to the Philippine side and lodging a strong protest against the reckless act of Philippine personnel ramming a Chinese law-enforcement vessel at Ren’ai Jiao,” the Chinese Embassy in Manila posted on X.
Wang noted that China-Philippines relations have faced persistent difficulties and challenges over the past few years and said that it is clearly contrary to the interests of both sides and detrimental to the Philippines’ own development. He also accused external forces of trying to hyping up maritime differences between China and the Philippines.
“Regrettably, every time China and the Philippines are about to engage in dialogue, certain individuals in the Philippines, especially some forces within the military and police, deliberately stage incidents to undermine the dialogue process. These people harbour ulterior motives. They are not acting for the well-being of the Philippine people, but rather to carry out the will of external forces and pursue their own personal interests. China-Philippines relations are now at a crossroads, and the Philippine side needs to make the right and rational choice about where to go from here,” he said, as per the X post.
The talks between the two leaders come after the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on July 22 dismissed the China Coast Guard’s (CCG) allegation that Philippine boats had deliberately rammed one of its patrol vessels near the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, describing the claims as “false and misleading”.
The response came after CCG alleged that two rubber boats from the grounded Philippine ship LT-57 rapidly approached the CCG patrol boat in a “dangerous manner” and rammed it.
“The key issue remains: Why was a China Coast Guard RHIB operating within close proximity of BRP Sierra Madre? Its presence was an unlawful intrusion into an area where the Philippines exercises sovereign rights under international law,” read a statement issued by the AFP.
“Philippine Navy personnel acted with professionalism and in accordance with the Rules of Engagement. The deployment of two rubber boats was a measured, non-confrontational effort to direct the China Coast Guard vessel away. Our personnel did not initiate any confrontation,” it added.
According to the statement, the situation escalated only after the CCG ignored repeated instructions to leave and engaged in “unlawful actions”, including striking a Philippine sailor with a wooden baton.
It noted that the Philippine troops exercised restraint and defended themselves within established rules, stressing that “professionalism should not be mistaken for weakness”.
–IANS
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