The Philippines has condemned China after a video emerged appearing to show a Chinese naval crew striking officers on board a Philippine rubber boat, which was trying to escort them away. According to the Philippine Armed Forces, one of its sailors suffered a 1.5-inch open head wound after being hit by a baton.
The military released a video appearing to show the altercation in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal, an underwater reef located in the South China Sea which sits within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone.
China’s Coast Guard said the Filipino crew ignored its “multiple and repeated warnings”, accusing the Philippine crew of ramming and attacking the Chinese naval officers using paddles, long poles and other tools.
