US, Australia hit China aggression

MANILA, Philippines — The United States and Australia have condemned China’s latest act of aggression in Ayungin Shoal, which injured a Philippine Navy personnel.

Southeast Asian foreign ministers, however, had “no reaction” when the issue was raised by Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro.

In a statement, US State Department spokesman Thomas Pigott said China’s troubling pattern of provocation against lawful Philippine maritime operations undermines regional peace and stability and directly contradicts China’s repeated commitments to resolve disputes peacefully.

“The United States condemns China’s dangerous and aggressive actions against Philippine navy personnel at Second Thomas (Ayungin) Shoal in the South China Sea on July 20, 2026, and calls on China to immediately cease its destabilizing conduct,” Pigott said.

“We stand with our ally, the Philippines, and commend the professionalism and restraint shown by Philippine navy personnel in this incident,” he added.

The US statement drew condemnation from the Chinese embassy, calling it “baseless.”

Meanwhile, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong also expressed her country’s concern over the maritime incident.

“We remain concerned about destabilizing and dangerous conduct in the South China Sea, some of which the Philippine Coast Guard knows too well, including the actions by Chinese vessels toward Philippine vessels we witnessed yesterday (Monday) morning,” Wong said yesterday. 

She assured the Philippine Coast Guard that “Australia stands with you. We salute your professionalism, your dedication and most of all we salute your bravery. Australia and the Philippines are close partners and we are even closer friends.” 

ASEAN ministers

Lazaro yesterday raised the Ayungin Shoal incident at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers’ meeting, but got no response from the bloc’s top diplomats, as discussions on the matter between Manila and Beijing were ongoing.

“I was the one who presented it as part of the discussion because everybody has read it. It’s all in the newspapers,” Lazaro said at a press briefing.

“The foreign ministers did not respond to that position that I made because I think everything is still being discussed between the two parties,” she added.

The ministers, she said, were actively engaged in discussions on the status of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.

A regional code of conduct aims to prevent conflicting territorial claims in the South China Sea from erupting into violent confrontations. She said that what the ministers were very emphatic about is the Code of Conduct.

“I think all the foreign ministers, almost all have really focused themselves on the developments that is happening in the Code of Conduct between ASEAN and China in the South China Sea,” Lazaro said.

She is set to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the ASEAN foreign ministers meeting in Manila.