Gun boats and diplomacy in the South China sea

China's territorial claims over a shoal of tiny islands sparks a diplomatic row in Manila

Transcript

00:00 The Philippines government has summoned the Chinese ambassador to protest over an incident

00:06 in which a Chinese coast guard vessel appeared to fire a water cannon at a Filipino boat.

00:14 The exchange happened in waters around Second Thomas Shoal, an atoll in the Spratly Islands

00:19 claimed by both countries.

00:23 Filipino authorities say the Chinese action endangered their crew.

00:27 The National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea, led by National Security Advisor Eduardo

00:33 Emanuel, strongly condemns the aggressive, dangerous, and unlawful actions by the Chinese

00:41 coast guard and Chinese maritime militia vessels against Philippine chartered supply boats

00:48 and Philippine coast guard vessels who were undertaking a regular rotation and resupply

00:55 mission in Ayungin Shoal last Saturday, August 5, 2023.

01:00 Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, a vital global trade route.

01:05 It's ignored a 2016 international court ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.

01:11 [WHOOSH]