Chinese and Philippine sailors clashed with oars and wooden batons near Second Thomas Shoal on Sunday, leaving one Philippine sailor with a head injury after Chinese personnel struck him as his rubber boat approached a Chinese vessel, the Philippine military said. Both governments summoned each other's ambassadors the following day. China protested that Philippine forces had provoked the incident by ramming its enforcement ships.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi traveled to Manila on Wednesday for the ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting, where he met with Philippine Foreign Minister Theresa Lazaro. Lazaro lodged a strong protest over the clash, demanded the removal of Chinese structures at Scarborough Shoal, and raised an offensive AI-generated video published by China Daily depicting Filipinos as monkeys. Both sides reaffirmed a commitment to conclude a South China Sea code of conduct this year.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who arrived in Manila for the same summit, is expected to meet Wang on the sidelines. Australia announced a A$10 million drone-technology package for the Philippine Coast Guard.