US, other nations condemn China’s ‘aggressive actions’ in WPSA China Coast Guard ship (R) sailing past a Philippine fishing boat with volunteers from the civilian-led mission Atin Ito (This Is Ours) Coalition on board, in the disputed South China Sea on May 16, 2024. On Monday, the National Security Council said that China’s coast guard and maritime militia engaged in “dangerous maneuvers” which included “ramming and towing.”It also said that China's actions put at risk the lives of the personnel and damage the PCG's boats. The U.S. State Department also called China’s actions "escalatory" and emphasized that the 72-year-old mutual defense treaty between the U.S. and the Philippines includes "armed attacks" on its Coast Guard "anywhere in the South China Sea." In a separate statement, France, Japan, Germany, Finland, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands denounced China’s actions and called for the recognition of the ruling of the 2016 arbitral tribunal of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. “The EU opposes coercion and intimidation in the South China Sea, or anywhere.

Source: Philippine Star June 18, 2024 14:10 UTC