Philippines' President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivers a speech during the 21st Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore on May 31, 2024.
The president said should such an incident happen by willful action, it would "increase the level of response [by the Philippines]," and come "very, very close to what we define as an act of war."
In late March, the Philippines accused a China Coast Guard vessel of utilizing its water cannon on a Filipino ship travelling to the Second Thomas Shoal, injuring three Filipino sailors.
Earlier that month, the China Coast Guard was accused of a water cannon attack that left four Filipino crew members injured by broken glass.
Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea as its waters, despite a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration that said that China's claims has no basis under international law.
Persons:
Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Marcos, Thomas Shoal
Organizations:
Chinese Coast Guard, Guard, U.S ., Philippines Mutual Defense, China Coast Guard, China's coastguard
Locations:
Philippines, Singapore, South, U.S, Manila, South China, China