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Washington, D.C. — Today, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX), Ranking Member Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY), Subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific Chairwoman Young Kim (R-CA), and Ranking Member Ami Bera (D-CA) issued the following statement on China’s escalatory actions against the Philippines in the South China Sea on June 17th. 

“We condemn China’s dangerous and escalatory actions against the Philippines this week in the South China Sea, which has left multiple Filipinos injured. We are alarmed that the Chinese Coast Guard and Maritime Militia illegally collided with, brandished weapons against, and confiscated Philippine boats. These provocative actions to prevent the Philippines from conducting a lawful operation in the South China Sea are destabilizing and threaten regional peace.

“We stand with our treaty ally, the Philippines, and call on Beijing to immediately stop its reckless and deliberate use of intimidation through water cannons, ramming, and blocking in the South China Sea.”

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