Washington on Saturday called on Beijing to stop harassing Philippine vessels in the South China Sea.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, in a statement two days before President Joe Biden is to host Philippine counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the White House, called images of the incident a reminder of China's "harassment and intimidation" of Philippine vessels in the contested waterway.
"We call upon Beijing to desist from its provocative and unsafe conduct," he said, adding that any attack on Philippine armed forces would trigger a US response.
