Manila to protest China's “dangerous” actions at shoal as U.S. reaffirms defense treaty
By isabelle // 2025-12-16
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  • China fired water cannons at Filipino fishing boats near Sabina Shoal, injuring three civilians and damaging vessels.
  • Beijing claims the Philippines staged the confrontation, calling its own actions lawful and restrained.
  • This follows months of escalating clashes, including a 40-ship blockade and ramming incidents in August.
  • The U.S. condemned China’s tactics, reaffirming its defense treaty with the Philippines covers such attacks.
  • Manila vows diplomatic protest as tensions rise, risking a broader conflict over disputed South China Sea waters.
Tensions in the South China Sea have erupted into another violent confrontation, leaving civilian fishermen injured and drawing sharp warnings from Washington. The latest flashpoint is the Sabina Shoal, a disputed reef where Chinese and Philippine vessels clashed on Friday in an incident that reveals Beijing’s escalating aggression and the growing risk of a wider conflict. The Philippines alleges that on December 13, China Coast Guard vessels targeted a group of about 20 Filipino fishing boats near Sabina Shoal, which lies within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone. According to the Philippine Coast Guard, Chinese ships fired high-pressure water cannons directly at the fishermen, causing significant damage to two boats and injuring three civilians. The injuries included bruises and open wounds. Chinese rigid-hulled inflatable boats also cut the anchor lines of several Philippine vessels, sending them adrift in what Manila called an “endangering” action.

A narrative of deliberate provocation

Beijing, however, tells a different story. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun accused the Philippines of deploying a large number of vessels in a “coordinated and intentional effort to stir up trouble.” China claims Philippine personnel “even brandished knives to threaten Chinese coast guard officers” who were conducting law enforcement. Guo stated China’s measures were “necessary to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, were reasonable and lawful, professional and restrained, and beyond reproach.” The Chinese coastguard spokesperson, Liu Dejun, similarly defended the actions as “necessary control measures,” accusing Philippine vessels of having “deliberately intruded” under the pretext of fishing. Beijing has dismissed reports of injuries as hype and exaggeration, framing the entire event as a Philippine-staged provocation. Guo urged Manila to “end the endless self-staged maritime farce.”

Chinese aggression is intensifying

This clash is not an isolated event. It fits a persistent pattern of Chinese coercive actions across the South China Sea, a vital waterway through which trillions in trade passes annually. China claims nearly the entire sea, despite a landmark 2016 international tribunal ruling that found its sweeping claims had no legal basis. The Philippines was the plaintiff in that case, and China has refused to acknowledge the ruling. This is not Sabina Shoal's first violent confrontation. In August 2024, a series of collisions occurred at this same location. Philippine authorities accused China of ramming a fisheries bureau vessel and firing water cannons at it on August 25. The following day, a massive fleet of around 40 Chinese ships blocked two Philippine Coast Guard vessels attempting to resupply the stranded BRP Teresa Magbanua. More recently, in August 2025, the pattern of aggression continued at nearby Scarborough Shoal, where two Chinese vessels—a navy destroyer and coast guard ship—collided with each other while attempting to intercept a Philippine patrol boat in what Manila described as reckless and dangerous maneuvers.

U.S. accuses China of using dangerous tactics

The United States has responded firmly to Friday’s incident. U.S. State Department principal deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott condemned China’s “provocative actions and increasingly dangerous tactics,” affirming that Washington stands with its Philippine ally. Crucially, the U.S. has reiterated that its 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty with the Philippines applies to armed attacks on Philippine public vessels, including coast guard ships, anywhere in the South China Sea. This American commitment intersects with a declared red line from Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. He stated last year that Manila’s red line in maritime clashes would be crossed if a Philippine citizen were killed. While the injuries from Friday’s water cannon attack were not fatal, they represent a clear escalation toward that threshold, involving direct harm to civilians. The Philippine government announced it would file a formal diplomatic protest, condemning the “harassment and endangerment” of its fishermen. Presidential press officer Claire Castro confirmed a demarche would be delivered to the Chinese embassy. The Philippines’ national maritime council said actions that cause injury and damage “cannot be justified.” What unfolds next in these contested waters will test the resolve of all parties. China continues to act aggressively, dismissing international law and neighborly concerns. The Philippines, backed by its treaty ally, is being pushed closer to its stated limit. Every water cannon blast and dangerous maneuver brings the region one step closer to a miscalculation that could trigger the very conflict everyone claims to want to avoid. Sources for this article include: ZeroHedge.com AlJazeera.com Reuters.com
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