Photo credit: PCG

The United States has expressed its support for its Philippine allies following reports of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) Coast Guard’s use of laser devices against the crew of a Philippine Coast Guard ship on February 6 in the South China Sea.

The US said China’s actions were provocative and unsafe, leading to temporary blindness of the crew members and interference with the Philippines’ lawful operations around Second Thomas Shoal.

They added that the PRC’s operational behavior poses a threat to regional peace and stability, undermines freedom of navigation, and goes against the rules-based international order. A legally binding decision by an international tribunal in July 2016 showed that the PRC had no legitimate maritime claims to Second Thomas Shoal. The United States urges the PRC to abide by the decision as per the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention.

“The United States stands with our Philippine allies in upholding the rules-based international maritime order and reaffirms an armed attack on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft, including those of the Coast Guard in the South China Sea, would invoke U.S. mutual defense commitments under Article IV of the 1951 U.S. Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty,” the US State Department said on its website