MANILA (Reuters) – Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Tuesday that the country will continue its resupply missions in the South China Sea without the need to deploy the navy, despite a recent incident with Chinese vessels.
“We will never be part of an escalation in the West Philippine Sea,” Marcos told reporters, adding that the country will continue supporting fishermen.
The Philippines refers to the portion of the South China Sea that it claims as the West Philippine Sea.
On Dec. 4, Chinese coastguard vessels fired a water cannon and side-swiped a Manila fisheries bureau boat transporting supplies to Filipino fishermen operating in the Scarborough Shoal, a prime fishing patch, according to Philippine officials.
Philippine coastguard vessels also faced “blocking, shadowing, and dangerous manoeuvres” from a Chinese navy vessel.
The Philippines will not deploy its own navy warships in the area to prevent provocation and escalation, Marcos said.
The Philippines filed a diplomatic protest against China, which claims almost all of the South China Sea.
China’s embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment. China’s coast guard said last week that Philippine ships “dangerously approached” Beijing’s territorial waters around the Scarborough Shoal.
(Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales; Editing by Tom Hogue and Michael Perry)
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