The Stratbase Institute on Wednesday condemned what it described as China’s “brazen act of aggression” after two China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels used sustained water cannon blasts against the BRP Datu Gumbay Piang, a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)-operated ship.
The incident occurred near Bajo de Masinloc on Tuesday while the vessel was on a humanitarian mission under the “Kadiwa para sa Bagong Bayaning Mangingisda” program, delivering aid to Filipino fishermen. The attack caused serious damage to the ship and left one BFAR personnel injured.
The think tank noted that the assault followed China’s unilateral declaration of plans to establish a “nature reserve” at the shoal, which it said was a move to “legitimize baseless claims” already dismissed by the 2016 Arbitral Award.
“These are not only blatant violations of the Philippines’ sovereign rights, but also direct and tangible assault on the safety and livelihoods of the Filipino people,” Stratbase said in a statement.
“Such behavior is unacceptable and reflects a dangerous pattern of aggression that cannot be normalized and tolerated.”
The group urged the Philippine government to take firm action in defending the country’s sovereign rights and to hold China accountable.
“What is at stake is not only the sovereign rights of the Philippines, but also the very integrity of the rules-based order that safeguards peace, freedom of navigation, and stability in the Indo-Pacific and beyond,” the institute stressed.
