By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora
MANILA – United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday described as “disturbing” China’s latest water cannoning incident, involving a Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) ship blasting a Filipino vessel in the Scarborough Shoal.
The CCG fired a water cannon on BRP Datu Dumangsil for more than two minutes while the latter was on a mission to provide fuel subsidies to Filipino fishermen in the area on Thursday morning.
When asked for a reaction, Rubio said the act was “disturbing” and noted that “these claims of sovereignty over territory are a growing challenge.”
“That’s why we continue to reiterate our commitment to our treaty partners, but also our commitment to freedom of navigation and respect for territorial rights in the region,” he said in an interview with reporters after his engagements on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Pasay City.
“And it’s one of the cornerstones of our engagement in the Indo-Pacific, and especially via ASEAN. And I made that point in every forum that we’ve had here,” he added.
BRP Dumangsil was one of the two Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessels subjected to what the Philippine Coast Guard described as “dangerous maneuvers” by the CCG in the feature.
No injuries were reported from the incident, and both BFAR vessels continued their mission. (PNA)
