The United States and other countries on Sunday said they stand with the Philippines in the face of the China Coast Guard's (CCG) “dangerous actions” when it fired water cannons at a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) supply boat in the West Philippine Sea on Saturday. The governments of Australia, Japan, Canada, and the United Kingdom (UK) as well as the European Union (EU) also released statements calling out China’s “unacceptable” and “destabilizing” maneuvers in waters within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The US Department of State, in its statement, said China’s use of water cannons and unsafe blocking movements had “interfered with the Philippines’ lawful exercise of high seas freedom of navigation and jeopardized the safety of the Philippine vessels and crew.”

Santos, T. G., & Mangosing, F. (2023, August 7). Allies condemn Ayungin incident, stand behind PH. Philippine Daily Inquirer, pp. A1, A3, A6.