PHILIPPINES, Dec 12: The Philippines has summoned China's ambassador and is considering potential expulsion following two confrontations with Chinese ships in the disputed South China Sea over the weekend. Manila reported that Chinese water cannon hit its vessels on Saturday as they attempted to supply Filipino fishermen at Scarborough Shoal, seized by Beijing in 2012. On Sunday, ships trying to resupply sailors on board the grounded Sierra Madre on Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands were also hit by water cannon, amid a collision with the Chinese coastguard that Beijing blamed on Manila. Pictures shared on social media showed the Philippines' boats had broken windows and damaged decks from the incident.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Teresita Daza announced on Monday that Manila had filed new diplomatic protests over the incidents, and "the Chinese ambassador has also been summoned." Declaring China's ambassador Huang Xilian as "persona non grata" in the Philippines is also "something that has to be seriously considered," she told reporters. Daza's comments followed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s promise to defend Manila's claims in the waters.

President Marcos stated, "The aggression and provocations perpetrated by the China Coast Guard and their Chinese Maritime Militia against our vessels and personnel over the weekend have only further steeled our determination to defend and protect our nation’s sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea."

The incidents drew criticism from the United States and Europe. The US State Department said China engaged in "reckless maneuvers" and called on Beijing to end its "dangerous and destabilizing conduct" in the sea. Spokesperson Matthew Miller noted that an international court had dismissed China's expansive claims in a legally binding ruling in 2016.

Sweden, referencing the 2016 ruling and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), expressed deep concern about the incidents. UNCLOS affords each country an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) extending for 200 nautical miles from their shore. Marcos Jr. emphasized that the Second Thomas Shoal, known as Ayungin in the Philippines, was within the Philippines' EEZ, and any foreign claim of sovereignty over it is baseless and contrary to international law.

China maintains that the Philippines was to blame for the confrontation, asserting that the Philippine supply boats ignored "multiple stern warnings." China's activities in the South China Sea, including building artificial islands and deploying the coastguard, maritime militia, and fishing fleets, have raised tensions not only with the Philippines but also with Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam, all of which claim parts of the sea.