Philippines Says China Sea Clash Doesn’t Invoke U.S. Defense Pact

A handout from the Philippine military allegedly shows the Chinese coast guard threatening Filipino sailors with weapons. Image via the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

A South China Sea confrontation this week, in which Chinese coast guard personnel brandished weapons and rammed Philippine naval boats, does not trigger Manila’s mutual defense pact with the United States, a presidential spokesperson said Friday.

Footage released by Manila showed Chinese coast guard sailors brandishing knives, an axe, and other weapons in Monday’s clash, in which a Filipino sailor lost a thumb, as they stopped a Philippine navy attempt to resupply a Filipino garrison on a derelict warship.

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by Agence France-Presse

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