The United States should “stop condoning and abetting the Philippines’ provocation”, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said Tuesday.

This came after the Philippines filed a diplomatic protest against China on Monday following its latest water cannon attack against the country’s coast guard and civilian vessels during a recent rotation and resupply mission. This resulted in injuries in the Philippine crew of the resupply ship.

China countered with a protest against the Philippines.

“If the Philippines had repeatedly reneged on its commitments made to the US, it should have expected a much stronger response from the US,” said Hua on X (formerly Twitter).

“The US knows full well the history and causes of the South China Sea issue. If it truly wants to see peace and stability in the South China Sea, it should stop condoning and abetting the Philippines’ provocation of attempting to build a permanent outpost on the uninhabited reef, in violation of its DOC (Declaration of Conduct) commitment,” she added.

China was replying to US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller who said on X that China’s recent provocations in the South China Sea “resulted in injuries in Filipino crew members, undermined regional stability, and showed clear disregard for international law.”

He added that the US stands with the Philippines.

In a series of X posts, China continued to insist on its sovereign rights over Ayungin Shoal, which it calls Ren’ai Jiao, which is within the country’s exclusive economic zone, and accused the US of “meddling” in its territorial dispute with the Philippines.

“The US has kept meddling in the South China Sea issue, provoking trouble and trying to set regional countries against China, to serve its own geopolitical purpose, thereby posing the biggest threat and challenge to regional peace and stability,” Hua said.

Hua also called the Philippines a “troublemaker”, saying that each time the Philippines delivered supplies to Sierra Madre, a warship grounded in Ayungin Shoal, “they had many journalists on board, and had them manipulate the videos they recorded to make sensational news and project the Philippines as a victim”.

She also reiterated that the Philippines promised to tow away the warship in 1999 “but has never honored its word”.

“Instead, it has kept sending vessels carrying construction materials to the waters of Ren’ai Jiao for reinforcement of the warship and permanent occupation of the reef,” Hua said.

President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. said last year denied that the country made such arrangements with China and that if there was a deal, he would “rescind” it.

China also maintained that the 2016 arbitral award was “unilaterally initiated” by the Philippines and focused on issues not subject to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

“The arbitral tribunal exercised jurisdiction ultra vires, erred in applying the law, and violated the principle of state consent, UNCLOS, and general international law,” Hua said. Jaspearl Tan/DMS