Manila: Just after Chinese coast guard ship allegedly hit a Philippine patrol vessel with a military-grade laser, briefly rendering some of its crew blind, the United States issued a fresh warning that it would defend its treaty ally if Filipino forces came under attack in the disputed South China Sea.

Tuesday, the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila sent a stern diplomatic protest to the Chinese Embassy in which it "condemned the shadowing, harassment, risky maneuvers, directing of military-grade laser, and illegal radio challenges" by the Chinese ship.

According to Philippine officials, the incident occurred on February 6 when a Chinese coast guard ship fired high-powered lasers to prevent the Philippine patrol ship BRP Malapascua from getting close to Second Thomas Shoal while on a resupply mission for Filipino forces stationed there.

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China is in conflict with other claimants because it virtually completely claims the South China Sea. Australian military aircraft on patrol in the South China Sea and other locations in the Pacific have allegedly faced laser attacks from Chinese naval forces in the past.

Tensions have persisted despite efforts by former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and his successor, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., to improve relations with Beijing. The two leaders met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in January in Beijing.

A Philippine coast guard vessel entered Chinese waters without authorization, according to Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday. He said, without going into detail or mentioning the use of laser, that Chinese coast guard vessels responded "professionally and with restraint at the site in accordance with China's law and international law."

China's "dangerous operational behavior directly threatens regional peace and stability, infringes upon freedom of navigation in the South China Sea as guaranteed under international law, and undermines the rules-based international order," according to US State Department spokesperson Ned Price.

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Price stated in a statement, "The United States stands with our Philippine allies."
In the South China Sea, he stated, an armed assault on Philippine military forces, civilian aircraft, or ships, including those of the coast guard, would trigger US obligations for mutual defense under a 1951 treaty. The allies are required by the treaty to assist one another in self-defense in the event of an outside attack.

Aside from China and the Philippines, other nations with overlapping claims in the busy, resource-rich waterway through which most of the world's trade and oil pass include Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Brunei.

Beijing has warned Washington to stop meddling in what it claims is a purely Asian dispute, despite Washington making no claims to the disputed sea and instead sending forces to patrol the waters to promote freedom of navigation and overflight.

The disputed waters have developed into a volatile front in the US and China's larger conflict in Asia and elsewhere.
Price claimed that the "provocative and unsafe" behavior of the Chinese coast guard prevented the Philippines from conducting "lawful operations" in and near Second Thomas Shoal.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged China in July to abide by a 2016 arbitration decision that invalidated Beijing's expansive territorial claims in the South China Sea and issued a warning that Washington would have to defend those claims if Beijing did not.

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Price stated once more on Monday that China "has no lawful maritime claims to the Second Thomas Shoal" as a result of the "legally binding decision." The ruling has been persistently disregarded by China.

In 2022 alone, the Philippines lodged nearly 200 diplomatic protests against China's assertive behavior in the disputed waters.