Pentagon Says West Philippine Sea Ramming Incident May Get Worse
WEST PHILIPPINE SEA – The United States Department of Defense said the ramming incident in the West Philippine Sea could escalate.
The United States Department of Defense has called China’s actions in the recent ramming incident in the WPS “provocative” and warned that it could lead to “more violence.”
Based on a report from Inquirer, Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder condemned China for the incident, which injured eight Filipino servicemen, one of whom reportedly lost a thumb.
He criticized the People’s Republic of China (PRC) for trying to prevent the Philippines from conducting a lawful maritime operation in the South China Sea, labeling the actions as escalatory and irresponsible.
“This kind of behavior is provocative, it’s reckless, it’s unnecessary, and as you highlight, it could lead to something bigger and more violent,” said Ryder in a press briefing Tuesday (US time).
“We condemn the escalatory and irresponsible actions by the PRC (People’s Republic of China) to deny the Philippines from executing a lawful maritime operation in the South China Sea,” he added.
Ryder reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to supporting the Philippines, stating, “We are going to continue to stand with our Philippine allies.”
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According to the report, the Philippine government has not yet provided more details about the latest ramming incident, particularly how it led to a serviceman losing a finger.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. mentioned only that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will oppose such tactics, stating, “China’s dangerous and reckless behavior in the West Philippine Sea shall be resisted by the AFP.”