Bangkok: The Philippines and China have both summoned each other's envoys following a recent clash in the contentious waters of the South China Sea. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called in Chinese Ambassador to Manila, Jing Quan, while the Chinese Foreign Ministry simultaneously summoned the Philippine ambassador to Beijing. This diplomatic tit-for-tat comes amid accusations from both nations of inciting and escalating tensions in the disputed maritime regions.
According to Thai News Agency, the escalation follows a confrontation between vessels from the two countries near Thomas II Shoal. Philippine authorities reported that one of their sailors sustained a head injury from a stick, and their rubber boat suffered damage. In contrast, the Chinese Foreign Ministry and Coast Guard accused the Philippines of initiating the provocation by deploying two rubber boats to ram a Chinese patrol vessel and assaulting officers with oars and sticks. They further claimed that the Philippines distorted the events, fabricating a narrative they deemed seriously misleading.
This incident is the third occurrence during President Marcos Jr.'s tenure where China has summoned the Philippine ambassador. Previous summonses were in response to congratulatory visits to Taiwan's leader in early 2024 and the enactment of the Maritime Zone Act later that year. In contrast, the Philippines last summoned its Chinese ambassador in 2023 when a Chinese patrol boat allegedly targeted Philippine ships with a military-grade laser.
In a subsequent statement, the Chinese Coast Guard expressed that China permitted the Philippines to send a small transport vessel to evacuate injured sailors from the grounded warship on humanitarian grounds, with China observing the entire process. However, the Philippine military dismissed China's accusations as "false and misleading," maintaining that their personnel did not provoke the conflict.