US State Dept calls out China for ‘coercive actions’ over Scarbourough Shoal 

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Washington also reiterates that the Mutual Defense Treaty is applicable to any Philippine public aircraft ‘anywhere in the South China Sea’ 

MANILA, Philippines – The United States State Department on Thursday, February 20, said China’s “reckless actions” in the South China Sea were a “threat to navigation and overflight,” two days after a Chinese navy helicopter flew as close as three meters to a Philippine fisheries aircraft conducting maritime patrols over Scarborough Shoal in the West Philippine Sea. 

“Reckless Chinese actions such as these are a threat to navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, and we will continue to support our allies and partners to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific. We call on China to refrain from coercive actions and settle its disputes peacefully in accordance with international law,” said Tammy Bruce, State Department spokesperson. 

The State Department also reiterated that the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) — which compels both the US and the Philippines to come to each other’s defense in case of an armed attack — covers all “Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft — including those of its Coast Guard — anywhere in the South China Sea.” 

Bruce, in her statement, also noted that it was only recently that “China’s separate unsafe and unprofessional maneuver on February 11 that endangered an Australian aircraft that was conducting a routine maritime patrol in the South China Sea.” 

The US embassy in the Philippines had earlier condemned China’s actions. 

China claims almost all of the South China Sea, including parts of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ). For Manila and most other South China Sea claimant states, this has meant enduring harassment from the Chinese military — through the People’s Liberation Army or its coast guard.  

Scarborough Shoal, a high-tide elevation, is within the Philippines’ EEZ. It is claimed by both China and the Philippines, although China has had controlled entry to the shoal’s vicinity and its once resource-rich lagoon following a standoff in 2012. – Rappler.com