MANILA — The Philippines raised a recent maritime incident near Ayungin Shoal with China at an ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting on Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro said, as tensions between the two countries persisted in the disputed South China Sea.
Lazaro said she brought up the incident during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Retreat in Manila, where a Philippine Navy member was injured. She said the other foreign ministers did not respond to the issue, adding that discussions between Manila and Beijing were still underway.
The Philippine foreign minister also raised the issue in a bilateral meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday, according to the Philippine News Agency. Lazaro raised what Manila described as recent Chinese actions in the West Philippine Sea, including the Chinese Coast Guard's actions near Ayungin Shoal.
The incident has heightened tensions during a week of ASEAN-led diplomatic meetings in Manila. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. summoned China's ambassador on Tuesday over the maritime incident, according to the presidential palace.
Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the incident, in which a Filipino naval personnel was injured, was among actions she described as destabilizing and risky for the region.
Details of the incident and the diplomatic discussions remain under development, with Manila and Beijing continuing to present differing accounts of events in the disputed waters.
