US slams "dangerous" Chinese actions after sea clash with Philippines navy

Washington DC - The US on Monday condemned what it called "dangerous and aggressive" actions by China , whose personnel were accused of injuring a Filipino sailor during a clash in the South China Sea.

"The United States condemns China's dangerous and aggressive actions against Philippine navy personnel at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea on July 20, 2026, and calls on China to immediately cease its destabilizing conduct," State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement.

"China's troubling pattern of provocation against lawful Philippine maritime operations undermines regional peace and stability and directly contradicts China's repeated commitments to resolve disputes peacefully," he added.

The statement came as Secretary of State Marco Rubio landed on Tuesday in Manila to attend foreign ministers' talks with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Before departing, Rubio said he was open to the possibility of a sideline meeting with China's top diplomat Wang Yi and potentially even Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

China's coastguard was accused of clubbing a Filipino sailor with a baton as they approached a grounded vessel that has long served as a Philippine garrison in the disputed waters.

Captured in video released by the Philippines' Navy, the clash took place after two rubber boats were sent to drive away the Chinese group.

China claims most of the South China Sea, defying an international ruling establishing that such claims have no legal basis. As a result, there have been frequent clashes with the Philippines .

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who's also attending the ASEAN summit, slammed Beijing's "destabilizing and dangerous conduct."

Speaking at the Philippines' coastguard headquarters in Manila, Wong condemned the "actions by Chinese vessels towards Philippines vessels we witnessed yesterday morning."