Philippines urges China to halt South China Sea provocations

The Philippines on Saturday called on Beijing to "immediately cease all provocative and dangerous actions" after accusing it of an "unjustifiably" firing of flares from the China-occupied Subi Reef on August 22, while a plane from Manila was conducting a patrol.

The same plane was also "faced harassment" by a Chinese fighter jet during a reconnaissance flight near the Scarborough Shoal on August 19, according to a statement from the Philippine task force in the South China Sea.

China-Philippines rivalry in the South China Sea

The longstanding territorial dispute over the Second Thomas Shoal has intensified since the beginning of last year, when the Philippines attempted to deliver food supplies to the BRP Sierra Madre, a ship stranded on the shoal and considered a Philippine outpost in the region.

According to the Philippine government, during the worst confrontation on June 17, Chinese forces in motorboats repeatedly rammed two Philippine Navy vessels and then boarded them to prevent Filipino personnel from delivering supplies, including firearms, to the ship.

After repeated ramming, the Chinese forces seized the Philippine Navy vessels and damaged them with machetes and makeshift spears. They also confiscated seven M4 rifles, which were packed in cases, along with other supplies. Several Philippine Navy personnel were injured during the violent clash.

China and the Philippines blamed each other for the confrontation, each asserting their own sovereign rights over the shoal.

In July, China and the Philippines reached an agreement that they hoped would end the standoff over the Second Thomas Shoal.

However, on August 19, Chinese and Philippine coast guard vessels clashed again in the South China Sea, marking a new flashpoint in their ongoing maritime dispute.

The Philippine authorities are considering expanding the scope of the agreement with China.