UPDATE - Chinese action at seas not armed attack: Philippines president

UPDATES WITH CHINESE REACTION

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - The "violent" behavior of the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) against Filipino sailors on June 17 in the disputed waters was “not an armed attack,” Philippines President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said Thursday.

It was a “deliberate action to stop” the Philippines Navy from its regular rotation and reprovision missions, Marcos added.

He was referring to clashes between Filipino soldiers and the CCG on June 17 on the disputed Second Thomas Shoal.

These were the first comments by Marcos since the incident happened during which one Filipino soldier lost his thumb on right hand when vessels from the opposite sides collided in the disputed South China Sea, parts of which Manila identifies as the West Philippine Sea.

“They (CCG) boarded a Philippine vessel, and took the equipment from the Philippine vessel. So, although there (was) no ambush involved, nonetheless, it is still a deliberation action and it is essentially an illegal action that was taken by the Chinese forces,” Marcos said, according to a statement from his office.

While Beijing has said it blocked the Filipino vessel which “intruded” into its maritime waters, Manila has asserted its claim over the territory where it has grounded a World War II-era warship, identified as BRP Sierra Madre.​​​​​​​

Manila has vowed to continue the re-supply missions to the warship “unannounced.”

In an attempt to clear confusion on the incident, Marcos said his administration is “still checking data on the ground” when a senior Filipino official said the incident involving Chinese was either a misunderstanding or an accident.

However, Marcos added, the situation became clear after he visited the Western Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in Palawan region last week.

“It is still a deliberate action, and essentially a legal action taken by Chinese forces,” said Marcos.

The Philippines has also lodged a diplomatic protest with China over clashes between two sides in the disputed South China Sea.​​​​​​​

In response to Manila's claim, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said that "provocations" were made by the Philippines side.

"Facing infringements and provocations made by the Philippines side, the Chinese side has every reason to take law-enforcement measures, which is completely legitimate, lawful and professional," Wu said.

"The Ren’ai Jiao (Second Thomas Shoal) issue has nothing to do with the US. It’s very dangerous and extremely irresponsible for the US to encourage and support the Philippines in infringements and provocative actions. And it’s no use to threaten the Chinese side with the US-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty," he added.

*Islamuddin Sajid contributed to this story