Chinese Coastguard Expels Philippine Vessels After Warning on South China Sea Dispute

Fresh tensions flared near a disputed South China Sea shoal on Thursday, after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned his Philippine counterpart of “bitter consequences” if Manila provoked Beijing with outside backing.

China’s coastguard said it drove away two Philippine government vessels near Scarborough Shoal. In a statement released on Thursday, coastguard spokesman Jiang Lue said the ships “ignored repeated Chinese warnings and deliberately entered waters under China’s jurisdiction”.

In response, the Chinese coastguard took “necessary measures in accordance with the law” to “expel” them, he added.

The latest stand-off comes after Wang warned his Philippine counterpart on Wednesday that Manila would “bear the bitter consequences” if it tried to provoke Beijing with the help of other countries.

Wang made the remark as he lodged a “strong protest” during talks with Theresa Lazaro, the Philippines’ top diplomat, in Manila over what he called an “aggressive act of ramming a Chinese law enforcement vessel” at a disputed reef in the South China Sea on Monday.

It was the third day Beijing has protested over the confrontation at Second Thomas Shoal involving a Chinese coastguard vessel and two Philippine Navy rubber boats.