China Doubles Down on Condemnation of US Ally's 'Provocative Moves'

Philippine supply missions to contested territories violated China's sovereignty over the areas, the Chinese Embassy in London said on Tuesday. It went on to lambast the United Kingdom's Foreign Office for abetting Manila's "provocative moves" and "shameful" actions.

On December 9 and 10, China's coast guard and maritime militia intercepted Philippine government convoys heading to Beijing-controlled Scarborough Shoal and Manila-held Second Thomas Shoal.

Both contested features lie within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone but are claimed by China along with most of the South China Sea. In ensuing standoffs, Chinese ships deployed water cannons and a suspected sonic weapon. Each side also blamed the other for a minor collision that took place on Sunday.

The China's embassy in Manila did not respond to Newsweek's request for comment before publication.

"We firmly oppose and strongly condemn the groundless accusation made by the U.K., and have lodged stern representations with the U.K. side on this," China's London embassy said.

The spokesperson said the facts were "very clear" regarding the incidents at Huangyan Dao and Ren'ai Jiao, the Chinese names for Scarborough and Second Thomas shoals.

Philippine ships "dangerously rammed China Coast Guard ships on the scene," the unnamed official said, calling it a severe violation of Beijing's sovereignty in the South China Sea and a threat to the safety of Chinese personnel.

The Philippines, which shares a Mutal Defense Treaty with the United States, maintains that the Chinese coast guard ship in question maneuvered into the path of the smaller supply ship in an attempt to block it, resulting in the collision—a repeat of a similar incident in October.

"The U.K. condemns the unsafe and escalatory tactics deployed by Chinese vessels against the Philippines on 9 and 10 December in the South China Sea," the country's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said in a statement published Tuesday.

The office added the U.K. opposes actions that threaten peace in the region and increase tensions and the risk of miscalculation, "including harassment, unsafe conduct and intimidation tactics."

The Foreign Office stressed its support for the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, the legal framework that governs all maritime activities. It also urged both Beijing and Manila to abide by the 2016 arbitral award that rejected China's sweeping claims in the region under its so-called "dashed line."

China did not participate in the case tried in The Hague. In a statement,its embassy in London repeated Beijing's view of the verdict as "illegal, null and void."