Philippine Military Rebuts Chinese Claims of Armed Confrontation

The Philippine military has denied Chinese allegations that its troops pointed guns at Chinese Coast Guard vessels near the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea. Military spokesperson Francel Margareth Padilla emphasized that Philippine personnel adhered to their rules of engagement and acted professionally.

The Philippine military denied on Tuesday Chinese allegations that troops stationed on a grounded warship in the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea had pointed guns at Chinese Coast Guard vessels. Philippine personnel are governed by rules of engagement and clearly acted with highest level of professionalism, military spokesperson Francel Margareth Padilla told a press conference.

Chinese state media said on Sunday that personnel on a Philippine ship pointed guns at China's Coast Guard in disputed waters of the South China Sea last month.