China Blasts U.S. for Deliberately Stirring up South China Sea Tensions
(MENAFN) China sharply criticized the United States on Wednesday, accusing Washington of “deliberately destabilizing” the South China Sea following American support for the Philippines amid a recent maritime confrontation.
On Monday, the US State Department publicly backed its ally, declaring it stood with the Philippines “as they confront China’s dangerous actions, which undermine regional stability.” The department condemned Beijing’s alleged ramming and water-cannon use against a Philippine vessel.
Spokesperson Tommy Pigott emphasized that Washington “reaffirms that Article IV of the 1951 United States-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty extends to armed attacks on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft anywhere in the South China Sea.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian responded by asserting that “facts and evidence” indicated “the Philippines who took infringement and provocative activities.” Lin accused the US of “vilifying and accusing China of the legitimate and lawful measures China took to defend its sovereignty,” further claiming the US was “attempting to threaten with the US-Philippines mutual defense treaty.”
“Such moves once again expose the US' ill intention of deliberately stoking confrontation and destabilizing the South China Sea and serve as yet another example that the US is the biggest source of risks undermining regional stability,” Lin added.
The latest clash occurred Sunday, with China and the Philippines trading accusations of provocation in the strategically crucial and highly contested South China Sea.
Beijing said its coast guard expelled two Philippine vessels it accused of illegally entering waters near Tiexian Jiao, part of the Nansha Qundao (Spratly Islands), a territory claimed by China.
Manila rejected Beijing’s account, denouncing the Chinese action as “another act of aggression.” The Philippine Coast Guard reported that a Chinese ship fired a water cannon and rammed a Philippine vessel anchored near Pag-asa Island, where local fishermen were being assisted. The encounter caused minor damage but no injuries.
The South China Sea is a vital maritime corridor, carrying trillions of dollars in trade annually, with overlapping territorial claims fueling ongoing tensions between China and the Philippines.
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