China Coast Guard vessels fired water cannons at two Philippine Coast Guard vessels, causing damage to one of them, during a patrol near Scarborough Shoal, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela said Tuesday.
“This damage serves as evidence of the forceful water pressure used by the China Coast Guard in their harassment of the Philippine vessels,” he said.
“Despite the harassment and provocative actions of the Chinese Coast Guard, both the PCG and BFAR vessels stood their ground and continued their maritime patrol. They were not deterred and will persist in carrying out their legitimate operations to support Filipino fishermen and ensure their safety,” Tarriela added.
As this developed, defense heads of the Philippines, the United States, Japan and Australia will meet tomorrow for security talks in Hawaii following the conduct of their joint maritime drills in the West Philippine Sea.
The US Defense Department said Philippine defense secretary Gilberto Teodoro will sit down with his counterparts, namely: Lloyd Austin of the US, Kihara Minoru of Japan and Richard Marles of Australia for their second trilateral ministerial defense meeting.
Their meeting will be presided over by Austin who will also attend the US Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) Change of Command, the US Defense Department said in an advisory.
Tarriela said that the China coast guard vessel first bombarded the BRP Bankaw with water; and when the BRP Bagacay approached, it was blasted by two Chinese ships which resulted in damage to the ship, including to its railing and canopy.
A 380-m floating barrier has also been installed by the China Coast Guard to block the entrance of Scarborough Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc.
This development came after the recent Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) among Filipino, American, Japanese and Australian forces in the West Philippine Sea in an apparent show of force amid China’s aggression in the disputed South China Sea.
The US Defense Department said the four defense chiefs will meet again to “discuss ways to deepen defense and security ties among the four countries.”
“Secretary Austin will travel to Hawaii as the United States, together with allies and partners, continues to deliver historic momentum toward a shared regional vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific,” it added.
President Marcos, US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida earlier met at the White House for a historic trilateral meeting, where they formalized military partnership amid developments at sea.
They said their nations’ Coast Guards will collaborate even further within the next year “to improve interoperability and advance maritime security and safety.”
The three leaders also said they will advance their defense trilateral cooperation through combined naval training and exercises among themselves with other partners.
Meanwhile, Australia has recently been more active in engaging with Indo-Pacific nations as it shares the Philippines’ concerns, likewise a maritime nation, over the situation at sea.
