Australia, EU raise concern on 'dangerous' China action vs PH

Australia and the European Union on Wednesday raised serious concerns over China's dangerous actions against Philippine government vessels near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea.

"Seriously concerned by reports of dangerous actions by China’s Coast Guard towards Philippines’ vessels at Scarborough Shoal, resulting in injury and damage. We call for restraint and respect for international law. Disputes must be settled peacefully," Australian Ambassador Marc Innes-Brown said on X.

The EU said "international law and the 2016 arbitral award must be respected."

A formal diplomatic protest will be filed against China on Thursday, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

The US, Manila's long-time treaty ally, earlier condemned China's latest aggressive actions against the Philippines.

China claimed more than 10 Philippine vessels intruded into the shoal it calls Huangyan Island and used water cannons against it to drive them away. 

The Philippine coast guard said two Chinese coast guard ships blasted a Bureau of Fisheries vessel, the BRP Datu Gumbay Piang, with powerful water cannons, “resulting in significant damage" and caused injuries to crewmen.

The incident occurred nearly a week after China announced a plan to turn Scarborough Shoal as a national nature reserve - a move strongly protested by the Philippines.

The shoal, a U-shaped rocky outcrop teeming with marine resources, was seized by China from Manila in 2012 following a two-month standoff, triggering an arbitration complaint by the Philippines a decade ago.

Manila maintains it has sovereignty over the shoal, saying "it forms an integral part of the Philippine national territory." —LDF, GMA Integrated News