Maritime face-off: Philippines mulls expelling Beijing envoy as tensions soar over South China Sea

NEW DELHI: The Philippines on Monday said it was "seriously considering" expelling Chinese Ambassador to Manila Huang Xilian following the most tense confrontations between the countries' vessels in years at flashpoint reefs in the disputed South China Sea.
Videos released by the Philippine Coast Guard showed Chinese ships blasting water cannon at Philippine boats during two separate resupply missions to fishermen at Scarborough Shoal and a tiny garrison at Second Thomas Shoal on Saturday and Sunday.

There was also a collision between Philippine and Chinese boats at Second Thomas Shoal, where a handful of Filipino troops are stationed on a grounded warship, with both countries trading blame.

The Philippine military chief General Romeo Brawner was on board the Filipino supply boat involved in the collision, officials said.
Diplomatic protests had been filed and "the Chinese ambassador has also been summoned", foreign ministry spokeswoman Teresita Daza told a news conference on Monday.
Daza said declaring China's ambassador Huang Xilian "persona non grata" in the Philippines was also "something that has to be seriously considered".

Coast Guard operated professionally: China
Meanwhile, China's foreign ministry said that moves by its coast guard were "professional" and "restrained", and it had "lodged stern representations" with Manila.

The China Coast Guard earlier accused one of the Philippine supply boats of deliberately hitting its vessel despite "multiple stern warnings".
China claims almost the entire South China Sea and has ignored an international tribunal ruling that its assertions have no legal basis.
It deploys boats to patrol the busy waterway and has built artificial islands that it has militarised to reinforce its claims.
Increased US influence
Friction between the two countries over competing sovereignty claims has increased since Ferdinand Marcos Jr became Philippine president last year.
He is widely seen as pro-US, just like his father Ferdinand Marcos, who ruled the country with an iron fist from 1965-1986.
In February this year, the US secured access to four additional military bases in the Philippines - a key bit of real estate which would offer a front