Anadolu staff
21 July 2026•Update: 21 July 2026
- Beijing, Manila summoned each other's envoys after incident
The Philippines and China have escalated a war of words over a clash between Filipino seafarers and the Chinese Coast Guard at the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, known as Ren'ai Jiao in China and Ayungin Shoal in the Philippines.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. condemned what he called an assault on a Filipino sailor, while Beijing released video footage alleging that Philippine personnel rammed a Chinese Coast Guard vessel and attacked its officers.
Marcos said the sailor was injured while defending Philippine sovereignty and praised the military personnel involved in the incident, according to Philippine daily PhilStar.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the assault against our personnel who were carrying out their lawful duties,” Marcos said, adding that the Philippines “will never be intimidated” in protecting its rights and interests in the South China Sea.
His remarks came hours after China released video footage of Monday’s confrontation, accusing Philippine personnel of ramming a China Coast Guard (CCG) patrol vessel and attacking Chinese officers with paddles and long poles near Ren’ai Jiao.
The footage, published by state-run China Daily, showed personnel aboard two rigid inflatable boats launched from what Beijing described as the “illegally grounded” Philippine vessel No. 57 approaching a Chinese patrol boat.
According to the CCG, the Philippine boats ignored repeated warnings, attempted to surround and ram the Chinese vessel, and assaulted Chinese law enforcement officers with paddles and long poles. The Chinese side said it responded with verbal warnings, maneuvering and “corresponding countermeasures” to stabilize the situation while exercising “maximum restraint.”
The Philippine Coast Guard and military rejected Beijing’s account, saying Chinese coast guard personnel boarded Philippine boats during what Manila described as a routine resupply mission and injured a Filipino Navy sailor.
In Beijing, the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs at the Chinese Foreign Ministry summoned the Philippine ambassador and lodged a protest over what it called the "Philippines’ deliberate provocation at Ren’ai Jiao and its attack" on CCG law enforcement personnel.
"The Chinese side pointed out that Ren’ai Jiao is part of China’s Nansha Qundao and is Chinese territory. CCG's law enforcement activities in the waters near Ren’ai Jiao are lawful and legitimate," according to Chinese state-run Global Times.
Beijing described the "nature" of the Philippine side’s "actions" as "egregious."
"The Philippines initiated the provocation but has instead sought to shift the blame, distort the facts, and maliciously hype the incident. China expressed its strong dissatisfaction and lodged a solemn protest," the report added.
Marcos met Chinese Ambassador to Manila Jing Quan and discussed the "assault by China Coast Guard personnel on Philippine Navy men," the Phil Star reported.
Jing described the meeting as “very useful, constructive and kind of in-depth exchange of views,” and focused on finding solutions rather than finger-pointing, unlike the normal lodging of a diplomatic protest.
The latest exchange underscores worsening tensions between the two neighbors over competing claims in the South China Sea, despite ongoing diplomatic efforts to prevent confrontations at sea.
Ren’ai Jiao — known as Ayungin Shoal in the Philippines and internationally as Second Thomas Shoal — has become one of the region’s most volatile flashpoints, with repeated encounters between Chinese and Philippine coast guard and naval vessels in recent years.
