{"id":67087,"date":"2024-05-31T15:38:48","date_gmt":"2024-05-31T15:38:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2024\/05\/31\/marcos-sets-red-line-with-beijing-over-south-china-sea-harassment\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:59:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:59:19","slug":"marcos-sets-red-line-with-beijing-over-south-china-sea-harassment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/asia-pacific\/2024\/05\/31\/marcos-sets-red-line-with-beijing-over-south-china-sea-harassment\/","title":{"rendered":"Marcos sets \u2018red line\u2019 with Beijing over South China Sea harassment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

SINGAPORE \u2014 While addressing the Shangri-La Dialogue defense summit in Southeast Asia, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. set near black-and-white criteria on what would count as an act of war by China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The comment came in reference to a question about Second Thomas Shoal, a reef in the South China Sea where the Philippines have an outpost. Despite a 2016 UN ruling to the contrary,<\/a> Beijing claims ownership over the territory and has harassed Filipino vessels resupplying the base each month. That harassment has included the firing of water cannons and ramming of a Filipino vessel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But were that aggression to result in the death of a Filipino citizen, Marcos said, it would be \u201cvery, very close to what we define as an act of war.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t