TEMPO.CO, Manila - Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Thursday, June 27, his country needed to "do more" than protest the "illegal action" taken by China against his country's navy during last week's routine resupply mission in the South China Sea.

"We have filed over a hundred protests, we have already made a similar number of demarche," Marcos told reporters. "We have to do more than just that."

No shots were fired on June 17, so the actions by the China Coast Guard could not be considered an armed attack, but it was a "deliberate action to stop our people" from resupplying troops stationed at the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, Marcos said.

China's embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Marcos' remarks Thursday.

A Philippine sailor suffered "serious injury" after what its military described as "intentional-high speed ramming" by the Chinese Coast Guard, which the Chinese foreign ministry has disputed, saying their coast guard's actions were lawful.

The United States, which has condemned China's actions, reaffirmed its ironclad commitment to the Philippines during a call between Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Philippine counterpart on Wednesday.

"The two officials discussed the importance of preserving the rights of all nations to fly, sail, and operate — safely and responsibly — wherever international law allows," the Pentagon said in a readout.

The Philippines has not asked the United States for support in resupplying its troops, its Washington ambassador said on Wednesday, adding that the United States was providing only "visuals" to aid his country.

Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez said the Philippines had sought a meeting with Chinese officials to lower tensions, not resolve territorial claims, and hoped it would occur "maybe early next month".

Romualdez said that if the Philippines was not able to resupply its troops, it would amount to "killing our soldiers" through starvation and thirst.

"I don't think China wants to have a major conflict. And definitely, we do not want to have one. And so, that's a good starting point," he said.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei.

An international tribunal dismissed China's expansive claims in 2016, a ruling that Beijing rejected.

REUTERS

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