SUMMARY

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines is asserting that there was “no reason” to interpret the actions of the Chinese coast guard on June 17 – which included ramming a Philippine government ship, brandishing machetes and knives, and taking disassembled rifles – as an “armed attack” on Philippine military personnel.

“There is no reason na i-interpret natin ito na this is an armed attack dahil ang intention lamang ng China dito is (to interpret this as an armed attack because China’s only intention here was)…to prevent the resupply from being successful,” said Commodore Jay Tarriela, spokesperson for the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS).

“Our objective is to resupply. The Chinese objective is to prevent the resupply from happening. That is the only thing…

Source:https://www.rappler.com/philippines/says-china-ayungin-harassment-not-armed-attack-june-2024/