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South China Sea
ChinaDiplomacy

China, Philippines clash again at Scarborough Shoal, a day after Wang Yi warning

Coastguard encounter follows warning to Manila counterpart of ‘bitter consequences’ if it enlists outside backing in dispute

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Philippine Foreign Minister Theresa Lazaro meets her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Asean meeting in Manila on Wednesday, the day before the latest encounter in the South China Sea. Photo: EPA
Liu ZhenandOrange Wang
Fresh tensions flared near a disputed South China Sea shoal on Thursday, a day after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned his Philippine counterpart of “bitter consequences” if Manila provoked Beijing with outside backing.
China’s coastguard said it drove away two Philippine government vessels near Scarborough Shoal after the ships “ignored repeated Chinese warnings and deliberately entered waters under China’s jurisdiction”.

The Chinese coastguard took “necessary measures in accordance with the law” to “expel” them, coastguard spokesman Jiang Lue said.

The latest stand-off comes a day after Wang warned his Philippine counterpart on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) foreign ministers’ meeting in Manila that the Philippines would “bear the bitter consequences” if it tried to provoke Beijing with the help of other countries.

During their talks, Wang lodged a “strong protest” with Theresa Lazaro, the Philippines’ top diplomat, over what he called an “aggressive act of ramming a Chinese law enforcement vessel” at another disputed reef in the South China Sea on Monday.

It was the third day Beijing had protested over the confrontation at Second Thomas Shoal, which involved a Chinese coastguard vessel and two Philippine Navy rubber dinghies.
02:22
Philippine sailor injured in clash with China Coast Guard at disputed shoal
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