Philippine summons Chinese diplomat over coastguard’s ‘aggressive’ actions

March 25, 2024 - 12:08 PM
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Philippine supply boat
A Philippine supply boat sails near a Chinese Coast Guard ship during a resupply mission for Filipino troops stationed at a grounded warship in the South China Sea, October 4, 2023. (Reuters/Adrian Portugal/File Photo)

 The Philippine foreign ministry on Monday summoned the Charge d’affaires of the Chinese embassy and instructed its mission in Beijing to lodge a formal complaint with the foreign ministry there over “aggressive actions” by China’s coastguard.

China has no right to be in the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, the ministry said, and its moves to interfere with the Philippines‘ routine resupply mission there last week was “unacceptable”. China has accused the Philippines of encroaching and says it took necessary measures.

Reporting by Karen Lema and Neil Jerome Morales; Editing by Martin Petty