MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippines accused Chinese maritime officials on Friday of carrying out an “unjustified assault” on Vietnamese fishermen in the contested waters of the South China Sea, adding its voice to a fraught dispute over the confrontation.
Vietnam said this week that Chinese law enforcement officers had beaten 10 fishermen and seized their gear while they were working last Sunday near the Chinese-controlled Paracel Islands, which Hanoi also claims and calls Hoang Sa.
China, which claims most of the busy waterway, said on Tuesday the fishermen had been there illegally and that it had taken steps to stop them. It did not respond immediately to the Philippine statement.
Other recent run-ins between China and the Philippines, a U.S. treaty ally, have made the highly strategic South China Sea a potential flashpoint between Washington and Beijing.
Philippine National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano said on Friday his country stood…
