US Condemns China Over Laser Attack on Philippine Coast Guard Ship

A Philippine flag flutters from BRP Sierra Madre, a dilapidated Philippine Navy ship that has been aground since 1999 and became a Philippine military base on the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, part of the Spratly Islands, in the South China Sea March 29, 2014. Erik De Castro/Reuters

The U.S. Department of State, on Feb. 13, officially condemned China’s reported use of a “military-grade laser” on a Philippine Coast Guard ship during a resupply mission in the South China Sea.

The event took place on Feb. 6 during an attempt to deliver food and supplies to a military outpost on the remote Second Thomas Shoal within the politically disputed waters of the Spratly Islands.