Teodoro: Philippines will resist China’s ‘reckless behaviour’ in West Philippine Sea

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said on Monday that the Philippines' armed forces will resist China's "dangerous and reckless behavior" in the West Philippine Sea.

"We will exert our utmost in order to fulfill our sworn mandate to protect our territorial integrity, sovereignty, and sovereign rights," Teodoro said in a statement on a day when China accused a Philippine resupply ship of causing a slight collision in the strategic waterway.

China's actions "are the true obstacles to peace and stability in the South China Sea," he said.

Manila and Beijing, which have overlapping claims in the South China Sea, on Monday exchanged accusations over the collision during a Philippine resupply mission in the Second Thomas Shoal located within its 200-mile exclusive economic zone.

China's embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment. — Reuters