24/7 Space News
TECH SPACE
Philippines' Marcos summons Chinese envoy over laser incident at sea
Reuters Events SMR and Advanced Reactor 2025
Philippines' Marcos summons Chinese envoy over laser incident at sea
by AFP Staff Writers
Manila (AFP) Feb 14, 2023

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos summoned Beijing's ambassador Tuesday to express "serious concern" after a Chinese security vessel was accused of using a military-grade laser light against a Philippine patrol boat in the disputed South China Sea.

The confrontation marks an escalation in the diplomatic row, after the Philippine foreign ministry earlier filed a protest to the Chinese embassy condemning the "aggressive" actions of the Chinese coastguard vessel that it said left Filipino crew members temporarily blinded.

Marcos confronted Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian on Tuesday "over the increasing frequency and intensity of actions by China against Philippine Coast Guard and our Filipino fishermen", spokeswoman Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil said.

The Chinese embassy said the men had discussed, among other things, how to "properly manage maritime differences between China and the Philippines".

The laser incident happened on February 6 nearly 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands, where Philippine marines are stationed in a derelict navy ship grounded to assert Manila's territorial claim in the waters.

It is the latest in a series of maritime incidents between the Philippines and China, which claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea and has ignored an international court ruling that its claims have no legal basis.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin insisted Tuesday that the Chinese Coast Guard personnel had "operated with professionalism and restraint".

Wang said the countries had been in contact via a hotline set up between their respective foreign ministries to discuss maritime issues.

Days before the latest incident, the United States and the Philippines agreed to resume joint patrols in the sea, and struck a deal to give US troops access to another four military bases in the Southeast Asian country.

US State Department spokesman Ned Price on Monday criticised the Chinese Coast Guard's actions as "provocative and unsafe".

"The United States stands with our Philippine allies in the face of the People's Republic of China Coast Guard's reported use of laser devices against the crew of a Philippine Coast Guard ship," Price said.

The Philippine patrol boat was supporting a "rotation and resupply mission" for the marines in Second Thomas Shoal when the Chinese vessel pointed the laser light at them twice, the Philippine Coast Guard said Monday.

The Chinese boat also issued illegal radio challenges and undertook dangerous manoeuvres, which "constituted a threat to Philippine sovereignty and security as a state", the Philippine foreign ministry said.

"These acts of aggression by China are disturbing and disappointing as it closely follows the state visit to China of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.," foreign ministry spokeswoman Teresita Daza said.

Marcos and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping agreed last month to "manage maritime differences through diplomacy and dialogue, without resorting to force and intimidation", Daza said.

Price said that China's "dangerous operational behaviour directly threatens regional peace and stability, infringes upon freedom of navigation in the South China Sea... and undermines the rules-based international order".

- Previous laser incident -

It was not the first time that a Chinese coastguard boat had pointed a laser light at a Philippine vessel, said Commodore Jay Tarriela, a maritime security adviser in the Philippine Coast Guard.

Last June, a Philippine Coast Guard boat was exposed to a blue light for almost 20 minutes, causing "temporary blindness and skin itchiness" among crew members, Tarriela told reporters Tuesday.

The US-Philippine deal earlier this month brings to nine the total number of Philippine bases accessible to US forces.

It comes as the long-time allies seek to counter China's military activity in the region.

Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei also have overlapping claims to parts of the South China Sea.

Related Links
Space Technology News - Applications and Research

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
TECH SPACE
Understanding laser accelerated electron radiation through terahertz emissions
Changchun, China (SPX) Feb 08, 2023
The terahertz (THz) gap, a frequency band lying between the microwave and infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum where conventional technologies are inefficient in generating and detecting the radiation, is being rapidly closed by development of new THz sources and detectors. Laser-based THz sources are of great interest due to their capability of producing coherent, single-cycle-to-multicycle, broadband (or narrowband) radiation. Such sources can also provide natural synchronization wit ... read more

TECH SPACE
Spacecraft controllers aim for the heights

Roscosmos is delaying the launch of the replacement Soyuz for crew return

NASA launches new Framework for Procurement Ideas, Solutions

Saudi Arabia to send its first woman into space

TECH SPACE
Japan aborts launch of new flagship rocket

Russian Progress cargo craft docks at space station suffers loss of coolant

NASA conducts first 2023 test of redesigned SLS rocket engine

SpaceX test fires Starship Super Heavy Booster's 31 Engines

TECH SPACE
Let's Drill: Sols 3742-3743

Preparing to drill Dinira: Sols 3737-3738

The first in the universe, but what's next

NASA awards Mars mission launch to Blue Origin

TECH SPACE
Large number of launches planned

Chinese astronauts complete first walk outside Tiangong space station

Shenzhou XV astronauts take their first spacewalk

Shenzhou XV astronauts to conduct first spacewalk

TECH SPACE
AccelerComm, TTP set to soar with 5G NTN LEO Space Cell

FCC greenlights Amazon's Project Kuiper to deploy 3,236 satellites in LEO

MDA secures new contract to supply Ka-band multibeam antennas for Argentina's ARSAT-SG1 Satellite

AST SpaceMobile announces collaboration with Zain KSA

TECH SPACE
High efficiency mid- and long-wave optical parametric oscillator pump source and its applications

Philippines' Marcos summons Chinese envoy over laser incident at sea

'Magic' solvent creates stronger thin films

Space Station research announcement for advanced materials and manufacturing open now

TECH SPACE
New models shed light on life's origin

Researchers focus AI on finding exoplanets

A nearby potentially habitable Earth-mass exoplanet

Two nearby exoplanets might be habitable

TECH SPACE
JUICE's final take-off before lift-off

A new ring system discovered in our Solar System

SwRI models explain canyons on Pluto moon

NASA's Juno Team assessing camera after 48th flyby of Jupiter

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.