The Philippine coast guard on Friday, June 7, accused its Chinese counterpart of blocking efforts to evacuate a sick member of its armed forces in the South China Sea, calling its actions “barbaric and inhumane”.
The incident, which the Philippines said took place last month, involved a member of a small contingent of marines posted to guard the BRP Sierra Madre, a Philippine vessel grounded at the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, the site of repeated confrontations with China this past year.
Coast Guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela said in a statement that coast guard and navy boats were harassed by Chinese vessels performing “dangerous maneuvers”, despite having informed them the operation was of a medical nature.
PHILIPPINES WARNS OF ‘RED LINE’ WITH BEIJING AMID HEIGHTENED TENSIONS IN SOUTH CHINA SEA
![China Coast Guard ships monitor the distribution of fuel and food to fishers by the civilian-led mission Atin Ito (This Is Ours) Coalition, in the disputed South China Sea on May 16, 2024.](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/06/1200/675/Philippines-Chinese-coast-guard.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
A Philippine boat convoy bearing supplies for Filipino fishers said they ditched plans to sail to a Beijing-held reef off the Philippines after one of their boats was “constantly shadowed” by a Chinese vessel on May 16, 2024. The coast guard then accused its Chinese counterpart of interfering with the medical evacuation of a member of the Philippine coast guard on June 7, 2024. (Ted Aljibe/AFP via Getty Images)
China’s embassy in the Philippines has acknowledged a request for comment, but did not immediately respond with a statement. Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion in annual ship commerce, and has deployed hundreds of coast guard vessels as far as 1,000 km off its mainland to police what it says is its jurisdiction.