US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller described the images of the incident as indicating China’s “harassment and intimidation” of Philippine vessels in the disputed area.
The United States called on China on Saturday to stop its “provocative and unsafe behavior” in the disputed South China Sea, after a Chinese coast guard vessel recently approached a Philippine patrol vessel, nearly causing them to collide.
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller described the images of the incident as indicating China’s “harassment and intimidation” of Philippine vessels in the disputed area.
“We call on Beijing to cease its provocative and unsafe behaviour,” he said in a statement, adding that any attack on the Armed Forces of the Philippines would trigger US defense commitments.
