
Social media this weekend was awash with footage of Chinese vessels spraying water cannons at smaller Filipino boats and collisions between the two countries’ vessels in the South China Sea.
And the U.S. State Department issued a rare condemnation of the events.
But Beijing was by no means silent, issuing official statements and even sharing footage of some of the incidents, a move that until now has been a mainstay of Philippine media strategy.
Chinas also lashed back at a Philippine House of Representatives resolution that denounced China’s actions in the area, including alleged laser-pointing, water cannon use, and other forms of “harassment” against Philippine vessels.
“The resolution adopted by the House of Representatives of the Philippines groundlessly criticized, misrepresented and smeared China. We firmly reject it,” China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Friday.
China also “urged the Philippines to stop hyping up maritime disputes between the two countries, and work with China to safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea.”