Washington: The United States called on China Saturday to stop its "provocative and unsafe conduct" in the disputed South China Sea after a recent near-collision between a Philippines coast guard boat and a Chinese military vessel.
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, in a statement on Saturday, two days before President Joe Biden is to host his Philippine counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jr., said that the incident was a reminder of China's "harassment and intimidation" of Philippine vessels in the contested waterway.
"We call upon Beijing to desist from its provocative and unsafe conduct," he said, adding that any attack on Philippine armed forces would trigger a US response.
Joe Biden has been working to bolster relations with Asian allies as the US-Chinese relationship continues to remain strained and the Philippines' proximity to key sea lanes and Taiwan gives it particular strategic importance.
The near-miss collision Sunday off the Spratly Islands was the latest in a long string of maritime incidents between China and the Philippines. Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, ignoring an international ruling that the assertion has no legal basis.
Two Philippine Coast Guard boats were on a six-day patrol of the waters and as they approached Second Thomas Shoal, known in China as Ren'ai Jiao, in the Spratly archipelago, a Chinese Coast Guard vessel more than twice its size sailed into its path.
The BRP Malapascua was carrying Filipino journalists. The Malapascua's commanding officer said the Chinese ship came within 45 meters (50 yards) of his boat and only his quick actions avoided the steel-hulled vessels crashing into each other, reports Reuters.
The Chinese foreign ministry said Friday that the Philippine boats had "intruded" without China's permission and called it a "premeditated and provocative action."
But Manila hit back, saying that "routine patrols in our own waters can be neither premeditated or provocative" and insisting they will continue to conduct the patrols.
The near-miss came just a day after Marcos hosted Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang for talks in Manila aimed at defusing tensions in the waterway.
Marcos has insisted he will not let China trample on the Philippines' rights in the sea, and has gravitated toward the United States as he seeks to strengthen defense ties.
Early this month, the Philippines identified four additional military bases in addition to five existing sites to which US forces will have access, including one near the Spratly Islands.
The two countries also carried out their biggest ever military maneuvers in recent weeks.
This shift has alarmed China, which has accused Washington of trying to drive a wedge between Beijing and Manila.