The Armed Forces of the Philippines said a naval serviceman was injured after personnel of the China Coast Guard struck him with a wooden baton during an encounter near Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea.
The incident occurred when a China Coast Guard boat carrying eight personnel unlawfully approached the BRP Sierra Madre, the grounded Philippine Navy vessel stationed at the shoal, which Manila calls Ayungin.
The military said the Chinese boat circled the vessel while taking photographs and videos, prompting two Philippine rubber boats to drive it away in a calm and nonconfrontational manner.
Chinese personnel reacted by striking a Philippine Navy serviceman on the head with a wooden baton, causing injuries and damaging one of the Navy’s rubber boats.
The Armed Forces described the action as a blatant disregard for safety that endangered personnel and escalated tensions in the disputed waterway.
The military affirmed that lawful presence and sustainment operations at Ayungin Shoal would continue despite acts of coercion or aggression.
The Department of National Defense condemned the encounter as part of a clear pattern of provocative and hostile behavior that erodes trust and credibility.
The agency said the incident reflects continued disregard for the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the final and binding 2016 arbitral tribunal ruling.
It reinforced a policy of disengagement, stating that the Philippines simply cannot trust the belligerent neighbor and will not back down.
A security analyst said the confrontation reflects China’s continuing efforts to assert its claims in the South China Sea through gray-zone tactics.
The analyst noted that tensions heightened after China shifted focus back to the contested waters, and such tactics will likely persist as long as Beijing does not achieve its objectives.
Separately, the Philippine government condemned an artificial intelligence-generated video published by a Chinese state-run outlet depicting Filipinos as monkeys.
Malacañang said the President viewed the video and supported the response of government officials, including the foreign and defense secretaries.
The Palace press officer said no Filipino would react positively to such a depiction, calling the portrayal of Filipinos as monkeys simply unacceptable.
The Department of Foreign Affairs demanded removal of the video, stating that disagreements over legal and political issues do not justify material that demeans Filipinos.
The defense secretary denounced the video as racist propaganda intended to undermine the Philippines’ position through ridicule rather than reason.
The Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry also urged the video’s removal, expressing profound disappointment over attacks on national dignity.
The group said territorial disputes should be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue rather than imagery that inflames public sentiment.
The controversy emerged around the tenth anniversary of the 2016 arbitral ruling that voided China
