Recently, last week’s incident in the South China Sea in the Philippines, in which a Filipino soldier lost a finger, was a “deliberate act” by China.
What happened: Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said Xi Jinping’s meeting with the military was not a false impression or an accident, Bloomberg reported Monday. This came after Teodoro and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. visited Western Command troops scouring the disputed waters.
“We are minimizing the incident. This is a competitive and illegal use of force,” Teodoro said.
It also showed that the Philippines’ policy of announcing its territorial claims in the South China Sea remains unchanged.
The defense secretary revealed that the Philippines would not disclose the schedule of resupply missions to its Second Thomas Shoal Army outpost, contradicting a past of Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin.
Teodoro’s comments reflect the Philippines’ goal of holding China accountable for the June 17 standoff, in which the Chinese coast guard team allegedly used knives to ram ships, confiscated weapons and rammed Philippine ships, causing one Philippine sailor to lose his thumb.
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In reaction to Teodoro’s recent statements, China reiterated its demands at the time Thomas was benched. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning suggested the Philippines resume negotiations with China to achieve peace and stability in the South China Sea.
Despite escalating tensions, the Philippines is confident it will use force or intimidation in the disputed waters. National Security Advisor Eduardo Año clarified that the recent clashes can simply be described as an “armed attack” that could trigger Manila’s defense treaty with the United States.
Why it matters: This incident follows a series of rising tensions in the South China Sea. In May, the Philippines pledged to defuse tensions in the region and President Marcos Jr. said the country would accept the use of water cannons or any other offensive weapon.
However, a collision between Chinese and Filipino ships near the Spratly Islands in June sparked a dispute, with the Philippines accusing Beijing of spreading misleading data about the incident.
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This story was generated by Benzinga Neuro and edited by Pooja Rajkumari.
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