WASHINGTON/MANILA, October 14(HS): The United States condemned China over an October 12 confrontation in the South China Sea, saying a China Coast Guard ship rammed and used water cannons against a Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel near Thitu Island, which Manila calls Pag-asa. “We stand with our Philippine allies as they confront China’s dangerous actions which undermine regional stability,” the U.S. State Department said, denouncing the incident as escalatory and unsafe.

Washington’s statement also reaffirmed that the 1951 U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty applies to armed attacks on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, and aircraft—including those of the coast guard—anywhere in the South China Sea, underscoring the treaty’s deterrent intent amid repeated run-ins at sea.

Philippine authorities said the BRP Datu Pagbuaya sustained minor damage but reported no injuries after a Chinese coast guard ship bearing hull number 21559 fired a water cannon and then struck the vessel’s stern near Thitu Island, where Filipino ships were supporting local fishermen.

Manila pledged to continue operations in the area and pursue diplomatic steps over what it called an “aggressive and illegal” act.

Beijing, for its part, accused the Philippines of “illegally intruding” near Sandy Cay (Tiexian Reef) close to Thitu and said its coast guard took “control measures” in accordance with law, with both sides trading blame over the collision in contested waters of the Spratly chain.The episode adds to a pattern of dangerous encounters in the South China Sea, where overlapping claims and increasingly assertive maritime actions have heightened risks to regional stability.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar