The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Monday condemned an attack by Chinese Coast Guard forces on Philippine military personnel near Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea, vowing to take formal diplomatic steps.
According to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), eight Chinese Coast Guard crew members in a rigid hull inflatable boat approached the BRP Sierra Madre—a World War II-era vessel intentionally grounded in 1999 to assert Philippine sovereignty following China’s 1995 occupation of Mischief Reef. The aging ship continues to house a small military detachment.
Military reports indicate that the Chinese craft circled the grounded warship to record photos and video. In response, Philippine Navy personnel in two rubber boats escorted the vessel away in what the AFP characterized as a calm, non-confrontational effort.
However, AFP video footage captured a Chinese Coast Guard officer striking a Filipino sailor on the head with a wooden club, injuring the service member and damaging a Philippine rubber boat.
The DFA stated it is working alongside the military to gather details, describing the encounter as the most severe assault on Philippine troops by Chinese forces since 2024.
That previous incident two years ago involved Chinese personnel ramming Philippine vessels, seizing weapons and inflatable boats, and brandishing bladed weapons. One Filipino sailor lost a thumb during the clash, while navigation tools were destroyed and boats were slashed.
Following the 2024 violence, Manila and Beijing established a temporary agreement that allowed over a dozen subsequent resupply missions to deliver food, fuel, and essentials to the BRP Sierra Madre without interference.
This latest conflict erupted as senior diplomats from ASEAN member states and global powers—including China and the U.S.—gathered in Manila for regional security talks.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro, chairing the ASEAN meetings, is slated to hold a bilateral meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during the summit.
“Any act of violence against Filipino personnel is unacceptable and will merit the appropriate diplomatic action,” the DFA said in a statement.
“The DFA is committed to upholding the safety and well-being of Filipino personnel aboard BRP Sierra Madre who are lawfully performing their duties,” it added.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately issue a statement.
Ayungin Shoal, known internationally as Second Thomas Shoal and called Ren’ai Jiao by Beijing, lies roughly 105.77 nautical miles off Palawan.
Manila maintains that the feature sits squarely within its 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone and continental shelf under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Philippine authorities reiterated their resolve to defend national sovereignty and jurisdiction over the strategic maritime zone.
Meanwhile, security analysts warn that persistent skirmishes—including the violent June 17 incident—heighten the danger of a wider conflict that could trigger the Mutual Defense Treaty between the Philippines and the United States, which obligates Washington to come to Manila’s defense in the event of an armed attack.