China’s Water Cannons Test US-Philippines Pact in Sea Feud
- Beijing calls its actions lawful, restrained, beyond reproach
- Waters cannons fired at least six times in eight months
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China’s increasing use of water cannons in the South China Sea is testing the limits of a decades-old defense pact between the Philippines and the US.
China Coast Guard ships took turns firing forceful jets of water onto a wooden Philippines supply boat in the disputed ocean on the morning of March 23, the latest in at least six incidents in eight months. The two nations traded diplomatic protests on Monday, with Manila complaining against China’s “aggressive actions” at sea and Beijing accusing the Philippine vessels of “illegal trespassing.”