June 20 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Secretary of the United States Department of State, Antony Blinken, held a phone call this Wednesday with his Philippine counterpart, Enrique Manalo, to discuss the recent hostilities between the Chinese Coast Guard and Philippine vessels in the disputed waters of the sea. of South China.
“(Blinken and Manalo) have discussed the aggressive actions of the People’s Republic of China against the Philippines in the South China Sea. The dialogue has taken place after the dangerous and irresponsible actions of the People’s Republic of China to prevent the Philippines from carrying out a legal maritime operation in the South China Sea on June 17,” reads a statement from the Secretary of State’s spokesman, Matthew Miller.
The leader of American diplomacy has insisted that China is “undermining” the peace and stability of the region, recalling that the mutual defense treaties between Washington and Manila also include Philippine ships in this sea.
This same Wednesday, the head of the Philippine Armed Forces, Romeo Brawner Jr, accused Beijing of “piracy” during the latest confrontation between both countries that occurred on Monday in the disputed Second Thomas Atoll, where it is stranded — deliberately in 1999– a Philippine Navy ship.
The incident occurred when the Chinese coast guard boarded Philippine vessels heading to resupply their troops on this ship, which serves as a settlement considered by China to be “illegal” on missions within what they claim as their exclusive economic zone. a claim rejected by the Philippines. This type of action and collisions between the ships of both nations have occurred regularly in recent months, leading to a deterioration in their relations.
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