Chinese Embassy official summoned over 'harassment of Philippine vessels' in WPS

The Philippine Government on Thursday summoned a senior Chinese Embassy official over the "harassment of Philippine vessels" in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said it has summoned the Chinese Embassy of Manila Deputy Chief of Mission Zhou Zhiyong over harassment of Philippine vessels conducting a routine and regular humanitarian mission to Bajo Masinloc on 30 April.

The Philippines protested the harassment, ramming, swarming, shadowing and blocking, dangerous maneuvers, use of water cannons, and other aggressive actions of China Coast Guard and Chinese Maritime Militia vessels against the vessels of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) enroute to Bajo de Masinloc.

"China's aggressive actions, particularly its water cannon use, caused damage to vessels of PCG and BFAR," DFA said.

"The Philippines demanded that Chinese vessels leave Bajo de Masinloc and its vicinity immediately," it added.

The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) said the PCG vessel BRP Bagacay suffered some damage to a part of its superstructure from targeted high-pressure water cannoning by CCG vessels.

Meanwhile, BFAR's BRP Bankaw also sustained damage to heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems; electrical, navigation, and radio systems; and superficial hull.

The DFA said for this year alone, the Philippines has lodged 20 diplomatic protests against China as of 30 April and a total of 153 under the Marcos administration.