The Philippines filed a diplomatic protest against China on Thursday over its recent harassment of Filipino vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo announced.

The protest, in the form of a note verbale, was sent to Beijing in response to the actions of the China Coast Guard (CCG), which reportedly Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessels conducting maritime patrols near Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Scarborough Shoal, on Wednesday.

According to the PCG, CCG vessels, alongside a People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ship, used water cannons and sideswiped a BFAR vessel that was en route to deliver supplies to Filipino fishermen in the area.

“It’s very clear. We were within our legal rights, and Japan, of course, has supported us on that, along with many other countries,” Manalo told reporters in a brief interview on the sidelines of the signing of a P611-million Official Security Assistance agreement between the Philippines and Japan.

“We certainly don’t understand why China is repeating these actions, which are clearly illegal,” Manalo said.

The Foreign Affairs chief confirmed plans to summon the Chinese ambassador to the Philippines to convey the country’s concerns over the latest incident.

China rejects claims

On Wednesday, Beijing rejected Philippine officials’ claims, asserting that Philippine ships were “intruding” into Chinese waters.

“Huangyan Dao has always been China’s territory,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian in a statement. “The Philippines sent Coast Guard and official vessels there and tried to intrude into China’s territorial sea surrounding Huangyan Dao.”

“In response, China took necessary measures to protect our territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in accordance with the law,” he added. Lin also characterized the CCG’s actions as “justified, lawful, professional and restrained.”

“China calls on the Philippines to stop its infringement activities and provocations immediately and not to challenge China’s firm resolve to defend our lawful rights and interests,” Lin said.

Beijing maintains its territorial claim over Scarborough Shoal, which is located just 120 nautical miles from Bajo de Masinloc in Zambales and is a traditional fishing ground of Filipinos.

60 protests filed

According to DFA spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza, the Philippines has filed a total of 60 diplomatic protests against China since the start of the year.

Tensions between the two nations have escalated in recent years due to overlapping territorial claims in the West Philippine Sea, a part of the broader South China Sea.

China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, including the WPS, which lies within the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone.

However, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in favor of the Philippines in 2016, rejecting China’s historic “nine-dash line” claim.

As this developed, the Philippines reserved the right to deploy its military ships in the WPS amid the presence of China’s PLAN vessels in key occupied features, National Security Council (NSC) spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said Thursday.

In a television interview, Malaya described China’s actions as a “provocation and escalatory move” on Beijing’s part.

“We took note of that and consider it a steep escalation because, in the past, PLAN ships were in the area but kept a distance. They did not engage in dangerous maneuvers against Philippine vessels,” Malaya said.

The NSC spokesperson stressed that the PLAN’s recent actions, particularly against the Philippine vessel BRP Teresa Magbanua, marked a sharp departure from its previous conduct. The Philippine vessel was reportedly blocked, shadowed, and subjected to dangerous maneuvers at a distance of only 300 yards.

“This is a provocation and escalatory move on the part of the People’s Republic of China,” Malaya said. “The Philippines reserves the right to deploy our Philippine Navy ships moving forward.”

Despite the escalation, Malaya emphasized that the Philippines does not intend to provoke its adversaries in the WPS.

“We do not want to send signals to China that they can do what they want just because we don’t want to escalate. It is China that first deployed the PLAN ship, so now it is also within the Philippines’ right to deploy our Navy ships in the future,” he said.

Malaya strongly condemned China’s use of its warship to block a civilian Philippine vessel, describing the development as alarming.

“It is unfair and unequal for a civilian ship to face a warship from the People’s Republic of China,” he said. “This is a clear escalation and we are deeply concerned.”

Malaya pointed out that the Philippines’ approach to operations in the WPS might evolve as China continues to assert its territorial claims in the South China Sea.

“We’ve always considered this a civilian mission, and we did not use a warship in resupplying our Filipino fishermen. But with China changing tactics, it may be seen as cowardice if we don’t respond,” Malaya said.

He reaffirmed that the Philippine government reserves the right to deploy Philippine Navy ships at a time and under circumstances it deems appropriate.