U.S. Department of State
10/13/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/13/2025 13:47
U.S. Statement on Scarborough Reef
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U.S. Statement on Scarborough Reef
Press Statement
Thomas "Tommy" Pigott, Principal Deputy Spokesperson
October 13, 2025
The United States condemns China's October 12 ramming and water cannoning of a Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessel close to Thitu Island in the South China Sea. We stand with our Philippine allies as they confront China's dangerous actions which undermine regional stability. China's sweeping territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea and its increasingly coercive actions to advance them at the expense of its neighbors continue to undermine regional stability and fly in the face of its prior commitments to resolve disputes peacefully.
The United States reaffirms Article IV of the 1951 United States-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty extends to armed attacks on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft - including those of its Coast Guard - anywhere in the South China Sea.
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Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs China International Law, Treaties, and Agreements Office of the Spokesperson Philippines
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