MANILA — The Philippines formally invoked its Mutual Defence Treaty with the United States on Thursday after Chinese coast guard vessels used water cannons to disable the engines of two resupply boats bound for the BRP Sierra Madre, a dilapidated Philippine navy ship grounded on the Second Thomas Shoal since 1999.
The water cannon attack disabled one engine and shattered the windshield of the second resupply boat. No crew members were injured, but Manila called it the most aggressive Chinese action in contested waters in years. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. summoned China’s ambassador and said the treaty would be invoked at a time of Manila’s choosing.
The US State Department confirmed the Philippines had invoked the treaty and said Washington was ready to honour its commitments. The White House called the attack dangerous and destabilising. Under the 1951 Mutual Defence Treaty, an armed attack on either country’s forces in the Pacific triggers a mutual defence obligation.
China’s foreign ministry rejected the invocation as baseless and provocative, saying the resupply missions had illegally entered Chinese territorial waters. The PLA Navy deployed additional coast guard vessels following the incident, according to the Philippines defence ministry.
The Second Thomas Shoal has been a flashpoint for years, but Thursday’s incident is the first time Manila has formally invoked the US defence treaty over a South China Sea confrontation. ASEAN issued an emergency statement calling for restraint.
Sources: Reuters, AP, Philippines Daily Inquirer, South China Morning Post, BBC