The Philippines has formally lodged a new diplomatic protest against China following a hostile and injurious encounter in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), where Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessels used water cannons against Filipino fishing boats, resulting in three injured fishermen and damage to two vessels.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed submitting a demarche to the Chinese embassy on Monday, vehemently condemning the December 12 incident at Escoda (Sabina) Shoal, which lies within the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile Exclusive
Economic Zone (EEZ).
Reports from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) detail that approximately 20 small-scale Filipino fishing boats were subjected to water cannon blasts, hazardous blocking maneuvers, and the deliberate cutting of anchor lines by the CCG vessels.
Malacañang denounced the attack, with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. directing the PCG to prioritize the safety of all Filipinos conducting their livelihood in the WPS. PCG vessels dispatched to assist the affected fishers were also reportedly subjected to “dangerous maneuvers and close-range approaches” by multiple CCG ships, even during a nighttime safety mission.
Manila Rejects Beijing’s Claims
The Philippine government has flatly rejected Beijing’s official account of the incident. China, through its foreign ministry spokesman, claimed the Filipino vessels were assembled “in an organized and premeditated manner to provoke trouble” and that its actions were “necessary to safeguard its territorial sovereignty.”
However, the National Maritime Council (NMC) pushed back, calling China’s narrative “deeply troubling” and unjustified.
“Any measure that involves water cannons, dangerous maneuvers, and actions that cause injury and damage to small, wooden civilian fishing boats cannot be justified, particularly when undertaken against subsistence fishers peacefully fishing in the Philippines’ EEZ,” the NMC said.
The Philippines stressed that it will continue to firmly defend its people and sovereign rights in the WPS, guided by diplomacy and adherence to international law, while calling on the CCG to “act responsibly, adhere to international standards of conduct, and place the preservation of life at sea above actions that sow fear and endanger civilians.”