By Focus | 2025-10-14

The Philippines has reaffirmed its commitment to defending its territorial integrity and the rights of Filipino fishers in the South China Sea, following what it describes as another round of aggressive harassment by Chinese maritime forces.

In the latest incident on October 12, three Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessels on a mission to defend Filipino fishermen were anchored off Thitu Island (known as Pag-asa Island in the Philippines and Zhongye Dao in China), part of the Spratly Islands chain. The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said they came under "dangerous and provocative" pressure from the China Coast Guard (CCG) and Chinese maritime militia vessels.

The confrontation began around 8.15am when Chinese vessels "approached dangerously close" and activated their water cannons as "a clear threat," the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said in a statement.

The situation escalated an hour later when a CCG vessel with bow number 21559 fired its water cannon directly at the BRP Datu Pagbuaya, hitting the vessel. As shown on video, the CCG vessel "deliberately rammed" the stern of the BRP Datu Pagbuaya at 9.18am.

Fortunately, the Philippine crew was not injured. But it had to steer away from the aggressor.

"Despite these bullying tactics and aggressive actions ... we will not be intimidated or driven away," the PCG statement said.

Support from abroad

Philippine allies quickly expressed their support.

On October 13, seven foreign missions in the Philippines, including those of the United States, United Kingdom, Japan and the European Union, issued statements condemning China's recent actions in the West Philippine Sea. They urged China to cease its "dangerous" maneuvers at sea.

US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott reaffirmed Washington's backing for the Philippines in a statement. The 1951 US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty covers armed attacks on Philippine public vessels anywhere in the South China Sea, he said.

'Aggressive and illegal actions'

Clashes between Philippine and Chinese vessels are now routine in the South China Sea, where China asserts sweeping maritime claims even after a 2016 international arbitration ruling threw them out.

China is a signatory to the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, which obliges claimant states to avoid escalating disputes and refrain from occupying uninhabited features in the area.

The Philippine National Maritime Council condemned the October 12 incident and said it would pursue "appropriate diplomatic action to convey its strong objections to the aggressive and illegal actions of China."

In response, the CCG claimed the confrontation began after a Philippine vessel "illegally entered" what it called Chinese waters near Sandy Cay, a disputed coral reef in the Spratlys that China has attempted to control.

Philippine ships "ignored repeated stern warnings" and "dangerously approached" a Chinese vessel, said CCG spokesperson Liu Dejun.

The PCG, however, insisted that the vessels were operating within Philippine territory. "The harassment we faced today only strengthens our resolve," PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan said. "[N]either water cannons nor ramming will deter us from fulfilling our commitment ... to not surrender a square inch of our territory to any foreign power."

Dangerous Chinese maneuvers

Defying mounting Chinese pressure, the PCG and BFAR continue to carry out aid missions and patrols across other contested areas of the South China Sea.

Chinese maritime forces obstructed two separate resupply missions October 13, PCG spokesperson Jay Tarriela said that day.

At Scarborough Shoal (known as Bajo de Masinloc in the Philippines), Philippine vessels faced a fleet of 26 Chinese ships and aircraft, including CCG vessels, maritime militia boats, Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy warships and a naval helicopter, which carried out dangerous maneuvers and blocking actions.

A similar incident occurred the same day at Escoda Shoal, where 24 Chinese assets -- a mix of CCG and militia vessels, PLA Navy ships, a helicopter and a high-speed response boat -- attempted to block the aid operation.

Despite China's use of water cannons and aggressive maneuvering to "threaten and intimidate" Filipino fishers and disrupt the delivery of supplies, the mission concluded successfully that evening, said the PCG.

A pattern of escalation

These incidents follow a string of clashes over the past year. In September alone, a water cannon blast from a CCG vessel shattered a window aboard the BRP Datu Gumbay Piang on September 16, injuring a crew member near Scarborough Shoal.

Less than a week earlier, Beijing announced a nature reserve at the shoal, a move widely seen as an effort to reinforce its sovereignty claims.