The United States said on Monday it stands with the Philippines following Manila accused China’s coast guard of using lasers to try to block a mission to resupply troops in the South China Sea.
“The United States stands with our Filipino allies in countering the People’s Republic of China Coast Guard’s use of lasers once morest the crew of a Philippine Coast Guard vessel on February 6 in the South China Sea,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.
China’s foreign ministry said the actions of the Chinese coast guard were in accordance with the law.
The Philippines on Monday accused a Chinese coast guard vessel of targeting a Philippine coast guard vessel with military-grade lasers and temporarily injuring some of its crew in the disputed South China Sea, calling it a “flagrant” violation of Manila’s sovereign rights.
China claims almost all of the South China Sea, which puts it on a collision course with other claimants there.
(Archyde.com, Associated Press)
