Philippines, China Foreign Ministers Trade Protests

The foreign ministers of the Philippines and China exchanged strong protests on July 22 over a violent confrontation between their vessels at a disputed shoal in the South China Sea earlier in the week. The diplomatic clash occurred during a bilateral meeting in Manila between Philippine Foreign Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, held on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) ministerial meetings.

The incident took place on July 20 near Second Thomas Shoal, known in the Philippines as Ayungin Shoal. According to the Armed Forces of the Philippines, a Chinese Coast Guard sailor struck a Philippine marine on the head with a wooden baton during a confrontation close to the BRP Sierra Madre, a grounded Philippine warship that serves as a military outpost. The Philippines stated that its personnel were attempting to drive away a Chinese Coast Guard boat that had come within close range of the vessel when the altercation occurred.

China rejected this account, with Wang Yi accusing Philippine personnel of instigating the incident by ramming a Chinese law enforcement vessel. During the meeting, Lazaro reiterated Manila's...