BEIJING/MANILA, July 21 (Reuters) – Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. plans to call in China’s ambassador in Manila, his office announced on Tuesday. This follows a similar action taken by China, which summoned the Philippines’ ambassador in Beijing, amid rising tensions between the two countries over the disputed South China Sea.
Claire Castro, the Undersecretary for Presidential Communications, confirmed that Ambassador Jing Quan of China is expected to meet with Marcos at 5 p.m. (0900 GMT) on Tuesday. Earlier, the Chinese foreign ministry reported that it had summoned the Philippine ambassador.
This diplomatic back-and-forth comes after both nations accused each other of provoking a heated incident at the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea. Philippine officials reported that one of their navy personnel was hit on the head during the encounter, while China claimed that the Philippines instigated the event.
The Chinese foreign ministry stated, “The Philippine side provoked the incident first, yet has turned around and made counter-accusations, distorted the facts and engaged in malicious hype.”
According to the China Coast Guard (CCG), two rubber boats from the Philippines’ grounded vessel, BRP Sierra Madre, collided with a Chinese patrol boat in the area. They also claimed that Philippine personnel attacked their officers using oars and sticks.
Diplomatic summons of this kind are uncommon, even though there are frequent tensions between China and the Philippines regarding the South China Sea.
Tuesday’s announcement is the third time that the Chinese government has summoned the Philippine ambassador during President Marcos Jr.’s time in office. Previous instances occurred in January 2024, when the Philippine president congratulated Taiwan’s leader-elect Lai Ching-te, and in November 2024 over Manila's Maritime Zones Act and Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act.
China has also previously called in the Philippine ambassador for discussions on various issues, which is a less formal step than a full summons, regarding disputes in the South China Sea and Taiwan.
The last public report of Marcos summoning the Chinese ambassador took place in 2023, after a Chinese coast guard ship aimed a military-grade laser at a Philippine coast guard vessel.
The Chinese foreign ministry described the Philippines' actions during Monday’s incident as “egregious in nature.” Manila accused Beijing of aggressively attacking a member of its navy with a wooden baton and reported damage to one of its rubber boats.
In another statement on Tuesday, the CCG indicated that China allowed the Philippine side to transfer injured personnel from the grounded warship using small boats, citing humanitarian reasons.
CCG spokesperson Jiang Lue mentioned that the CCG monitored the situation and will continue its “rights-protection and law-enforcement operations” in the waters surrounding the Second Thomas Shoal.
The Philippine military responded by labeling China’s claims as “false and misleading,” asserting that their personnel did not instigate any confrontation.