Washington on Monday condemned what it called “dangerous and aggressive” action by China, whose personnel are accused of injuring a Filipino sailor at a shoal in the disputed South China Sea.
“The United States condemns China’s dangerous and aggressive actions against Philippine navy personnel at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea on July 20, 2026, and calls on China to immediately cease its destabilising conduct,” State department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement.
“China’s troubling pattern of provocation against lawful Philippine maritime operations undermines regional peace and stability and directly contradicts China’s repeated commitments to resolve disputes peacefully,” he added.
The statement came as US secretary of state Marco Rubio landed Tuesday in Manila to attend foreign ministers’ talks with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).
Before departing, Rubio said he was open to the possibility of a sideline meeting with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi.
The Philippine military has accused the China Coast Guard of clubbing a Filipino sailor with a baton as they approached a grounded vessel that has long served as a Philippine garrison in the disputed waters.
The Philippines said in a statement a Chinese boat carrying eight men had circled and taken images of the BRP Sierra Madre, which sits on the flashpoint Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly archipelago.
The clash took place after two rubber boats were sent to drive away the Chinese group, the Philippine statement said.
China claims almost the entirety of the crucial waterway despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis, and has frequently clashed with Philippine vessels in the area.
