The United States demanded China on Saturday to stop “provocations” in the South China Sea, voicing support for the Philippines after Chinese ships reportedly blocked Philippine coast guards in that area, causing a near collision.
“We urge Beijing to end its provocative and dangerous conduct,” US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.
In addition, the spokesman warned that any attack by China against the Philippine Armed Forces or its ships and planes will provoke a response from the United States, which is committed to defending the Philippines under a mutual defense treaty the two countries signed in 1951.
Washington’s position comes ahead of an expected meeting Monday at the White House between Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his US counterpart Joe Biden.
The meeting comes amid rising tension in the Indo-Pacific, with Beijing’s expansionist ambitions in the South China Sea and its increased aggressiveness with Taiwan.
Just this Friday, China and the Philippines accused each other of acting irresponsibly in an incident in the South China Sea.
Specifically, the Philippines denounced that Chinese ships blocked the passage of a Philippine coast guard, approaching within 45 meters of their vessel and putting the Philippine crew “in serious danger” in the event of a collision.
For its part, China considered that the action of the Philippine ship was “premeditated and provocative” and defended that its ships were only defending the country’s national sovereignty.
The incident occurred on April 23 at the Ayungin Atoll, located about 105 nautical miles from the southwestern Philippine coast -and about 800 miles from the coast of Hainan, in China-, so the disputed atoll is located in Philippine territorial waters, being within the limit of 200 miles established by the UN.