Amid heightened tension, Philippines summons China envoy over South sea standoff

The Philippines summoned China's envoy on Monday to protest against "aggressive actions" in the South China Sea at the weekend, as Manila's defence minister dared Beijing to bolster its vast sovereignty claims by taking them to international arbitration. The Philippine foreign ministry has accused China's coastguard of deploying water cannon against a civilian boat supplying troops on Saturday at the Second Thomas Shoal. This action, according to the ministry, resulted in damage to the boat and injuries to some crew members, marking the latest in a series of confrontations over the past year. #Philippines #China #SouthChinaSea #Standoff #Diplomacy #Arbitration #TerritorialDispute #InternationalLaw #PhilippineDiplomacy #Beijing #ConflictResolution #Sovereignty #MaritimeSecurity #Geopolitics #EastAsia #Tensions #DiplomaticRelations #ForeignPolicy #NavalStandoff #RegionalSecurity ~PR.152~ED.103~HT.95~