US Condemns China’s Ramming of Philippine Vessel in South China Sea

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Oct 15, 2025 - 09:55 Updated: Oct 14, 2025 - 23:24
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US Condemns China’s Ramming of Philippine Vessel in South China Sea

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The United States has criticized China over what it calls “dangerous actions” by Chinese vessels near disputed islands in the South China Sea, while reaffirming its defense pact with the Philippines.

U.S. State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott condemned the Chinese regime’s “ramming and water cannoning” of a Philippine vessel belonging to Manila’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources on Oct. 12, according to a statement released on Oct. 13.

“We stand with our Philippine allies as they confront China’s dangerous actions which undermine regional stability,” Pigott said.

“China’s sweeping territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea and its increasingly coercive actions to advance them at the expense of its neighbors continue to undermine regional stability and fly in the face of its prior commitments to resolve disputes peacefully.”

Pigott reaffirmed that Article IV of the 1951 U.S.–Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty “extends to armed attacks on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft—including those of its Coast Guard—anywhere in the South China Sea.”

The incident occurred near Thitu Island—known as Pag-asa by the Philippines and Zhongye by China—which is the largest of the seven islands and two reefs administered by the Philippines in the Spratly Islands.
According to Philippine coast guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela, the Philippine vessel, BRP Datu Pagbuaya, suffered “minor structural damage” after being “deliberately rammed” at the stern by a Chinese coast guard vessel. No crew members on the Philippine boat were injured, Tarriela added.

Two Filipino senators—Jinggoy Estrada and Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan—issued statements on Oct. 13 criticizing China.

“This latest incident adds to the growing pattern of Chinese hostility within our sovereign territory and Exclusive Economic Zone,” Pangilinan said.

“We call on China to immediately cease these illegal and dangerous provocations, to respect the 2016 Arbitral Award and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.”

The 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague rejected the Chinese regime’s “nine-dash line” claim to about 85 percent of the South China Sea’s 2.2 million square miles, saying that Beijing’s assertion was inconsistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has ignored the 2016 ruling and continued to assert its claims in the South China Sea.

Estrada urged his country’s Department of Foreign Affairs to lodge a protest against China over the incident.

“The safety of our maritime frontliners and the protection of our sovereign rights must never be compromised,” Estrada said in a statement.

Lin Jian, spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry, accused the Philippines of being the “provocateur,” when asked about the incident during a daily briefing on Oct. 13.

Australia, the European Union, Japan, and the UK have all expressed concerns.

Marc Innes Brown, Australia’s ambassador to the Philippines, said on X that he was “deeply concerned by [the] dangerous actions of the China Coast Guard.”
“Seriously concerned about the repeated dangerous actions by CCG [Chinese coast guard],” Endo Kazuya, Japan’s ambassador to the Philippines, wrote on X.

Japan “upholds the rule of law and opposes any actions which increase tensions,” Kazuya added.

In September, BRP Datu Gumbay Piang, also operated by Manila’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, sustained damage, and a crew member was injured, after two Chinese coast guard vessels fired water cannon at it near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, according to Tarriela.

The water barrage lasted approximately 29 minutes, causing damage to the vessel’s bridge window, cabin partitions, electrical outlets, and air conditioning units, Tarriela added.

In response to the September incident, U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay L. Carlson took to X to criticize China’s “aggressive actions.”

In recent years, the Philippines has borne the brunt of the Chinese regime’s aggression in the South China Sea. Last year, Manila criticized Beijing for ramming its boats, blasting its vessels with water cannons, and firing flares at its aircraft, with most of the incidents occurring around the contested Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea.

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