US, Canada call out China after Escoda Shoal attack injures 3 fishermen

December 15, 2025 | 2:05pm

MANILA, Philippines — The United States and Canada have denounced China's dangerous assault on Filipino fishers last week after China Coast Guard vessels fired high-pressure water cannons and cut anchor lines during a confrontation near Escoda Shoal in the South China Sea.

In separate statements, the US State Department and Canada's ambassador said the incident endangered civilians and added to concerns over China’s increasingly aggressive behavior in disputed waters.

“The United States condemns China’s water cannoning and cutting of anchor lines of Filipino fishers close to Sabina Shoal,” said Thomas Pigott, the US State Department’s principal deputy spokesperson, in a statement on Sunday, December 14.

He said the actions threatened the lives of Filipinos fishing for their livelihoods and undermined regional stability.

US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson echoed the criticism, saying the tactics threatened both lives and property.

“We strongly condemn these illegal actions,” Carlson said, while praising the Philippine Coast Guard for assisting the affected fishermen and defending Philippine sovereign rights.

Similarly, Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines David Hartman said Ottawa was “seriously concerned” by the incident. He warned that such actions jeopardize peace and stability in the region and urged that disputes be settled peacefully and in line with international law.

The Philippine Coast Guard earlier said about 20 Filipino fishing boats were targeted on December 12 while engaged in lawful fishing activities. CCG and maritime militia vessels used water cannons and dangerous blocking maneuvers, injuring at least three fishermen and causing significant damage to two boats, the PCG said.

Most serious Escoda incident this year

Escoda Shoal is a submerged feature within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, where Manila has sovereign rights over natural resources, though it is not Philippine territory.

As the incident unfolded, Chinese state-linked channels once again framed the encounter as a routine national security operation and portrayed Philippine vessels as intruders in what Beijing claims as Chinese territory.

The spokesperson of the CCG said the military’s vessels had taken “necessary control measures, including issuing verbal warnings and expelling by external means, in accordance with laws and regulations." 

The PCG also noted that the vessels it sent to rescue the injured fishermen were initially blocked from reaching the area. 

It is the most serious incident to take place near Escoda Shoal in 2025, made particularly grave as it is rare for Chinese vessels to directly assault Filipino fishers in the area.   

In August 2024, multiple confrontations occurred around Escoda Shoal involving collisions and aggressive maneuvers between CCG vessels and Philippine government ships, including the BRP Teresa Magbanua. In one incident on Aug. 31, 2024, a Chinese patrol vessel rammed the Teresa Magbanua multiple times while it was conducting operations near the shoal.

China claims nearly all of the South China Sea despite a 2016 tribunal that ruled its assertion has no legal basis.
 

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