Washington called on Beijing on Saturday to end its “provocative and dangerous” action in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, following a near collision between a Chinese coast guard vessel and a Philippine ship.

“We call on Beijing to stop its provocative and dangerous action,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement, reaffirming Washington’s unwavering support for its “ally” Manila.

The US recalled that “an armed attack in the Pacific, in the South China Sea, against Philippine armed forces, government ships or aircraft, including those of the Coast Guard, would result in the implementation of US mutual defense commitments” with the Philippines under a 1951 treaty.

The incident, which raised tensions between Beijing and Manila, happened on Sunday near the Spratly Islands, the day after talks in the Philippine capital between Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and Philippine President Ferdinando Marcos Jr. The aim of that meeting was to de-escalate the tension between the two countries regarding these disputed waters.

The incident occurred while the president of the Philippines is expected in Washington tomorrow Monday to be received by his counterpart Joe Biden at the White House.

China claims to have discovered it first and gave name to the islands in the South China Sea, a vast area through which much of the trade between Asia and the rest of the world now passes. Beijing claims much of the small islands and reefs there, but other countries—the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei—also have claims to the area, and each controls several islands.

In Sunday’s incident, a Chinese coast guard vessel blocked a Philippine vessel, which was twice the size of the Chinese vessel, bringing them within 45 meters of each other, narrowly avoiding a collision, it said. Philippine Navy. An AFP team on another Philippine ship, after being invited to participate in a patrol in the area, witnessed the incident.

“The images and videos recently published in the media are a reminder that the People’s Republic of China harasses and intimidates Philippine ships conducting routine patrols in its exclusive economic zone,” the State Department said.

China responded to the incident on Friday by blaming Manila that he tried “on purpose” to cause an incident in the disputed waters of the South China Sea. Manila, for its part, argued that “routine patrols in our waters can be neither premeditated nor provocative,” noting that the country “has exercised a legal right, which it will continue to exercise.”