South China Sea: Manila demands US$1 million in damages from Beijing over June clash

China’s coastguard punctured Philippine boats and seized firearms during the confrontation that also led to a Filipino sailor losing a finger

South China Sea

Bloomberg

Published: 1:27pm, 4 Jul 2024

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The Philippines is demanding 60 million pesos (US$1 million) in damages from China following their confrontation in the South China Sea last month, the Southeast Asian nation’s military chief, Romeo Brawner, said on Thursday.

China’s coastguard punctured Philippine boats and seized firearms during a June 17 clash in the disputed waters that led to a Filipino sailor losing a finger.

The compensation that the Southeast Asian nation is seeking is just for the property damage and does not yet cover the injury to the sailor, Brawner said during a briefing in Manila.

“I demanded the return of seven firearms,” he said, adding the military is looking at the possibility of charging China with the cost of reconstructing the finger of the injured sailor.

On Thursday, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry said Beijing took enforcement measures to protect its sovereignty in the South China Sea after Philippine provocations.

Meanwhile, Chinese and Philippine diplomats agreed to ease South China Sea tensions but stood firm on their nations’ claims during a meeting on Tuesday.

Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong and Philippine Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro had “frank and constructive” discussions at a regular bilateral meeting on the South China Sea in Manila, according to the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs. A similar meeting among senior diplomats was held in Shanghai in January.

Both sides “affirmed their commitment to de-escalate tensions without prejudice to their respective positions” and also “recognised that there is a need to restore trust,” according to Manila’s statement. It noted a “substantial progress” in steps to manage the situation at sea while saying that “significant differences” with Beijing remain.

Philippines and Chinese vessels clashed in recent months despite a January agreement to ease conflict, casting doubts on the effectiveness of the bilateral mechanism to defuse tensions in one of the region’s flashpoints. Chinese vessels used water cannons on Philippine ships in the past months, damaging them and hurting their crew, while Beijing has maintained that its actions were lawful and professional.

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Philippines navy spokesperson Roy Vincent Trinidad on Tuesday described the June 17 confrontation as the “most aggressive” action by Chinese forces in recent history.

Beijing’s sweeping claims have been met with strong resistance from Manila under President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, who has bolstered ties with US and Japan. Marcos said last week that Manila needs to do more than filing diplomatic protests against China following the clash.

Beijing and Manila also agreed on Tuesday to improve maritime communications, and will further discuss cooperation between their coastguards. The two nations also talked about possibly convening an academic forum on marine cooperation.

Additional reporting by Reuters