Philippines Tells China to Get Its Ships 'The F*** Out' of Disputed South China Sea Waters

Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin Jr. lashed out at China on Twitter on Sunday night as tensions between the two countries continued to escalate over the South China Sea.

"China, my friend, how politely can I put it? Let me see...O...GET THE F*** OUT," Locsin tweeted, referencing that China has vessels in the disputed waters.

Locsin also wrote: "What are you doing to our friendship? You. Not us. We're trying. You. You're like an ugly oaf forcing your attentions on a handsome guy who wants to be a friend; not to father a Chinese province..."

Locsin continued with tweets into Monday about the situation. He also acknowledged what touched off his messages. He wrote on Twitter, "This snapped my patience if you wanna know" and included a link to a statement from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) of the Philippines.

The statement served as protest against Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessels for what the DFA claims was the "shadowing, blocking, dangerous maneuver, and radio challenges" against Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessels that were going through training exercises and patrolling the waters around Bajo de Masinloc on April 24 and 25.

The DFA also protested against the "incessant, illegal, prolonged, and increasing presence of Chinese fishing vessels and maritime militia vessels in Philippine maritime zones" and claimed China "has no law enforcement rights" over the waters. The statement concluded by calling on China to remove its vessels from the territory.

Also called Scarborough Shoal, Bajo de Masinloc consists of two large rocks in a shoal near Luzon, the largest island of the Philippines. China and the Philippines each has claimed the shoal as its own, and the standoff has increased in recent years.

China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, though an arbitration tribunal in The Hague in 2016 ruled that the claim was inconsistent with international law.

Last week, China demanded that the Philippines cease maritime exercises in the disputed waters, though the Philippines has declared to continue using the part of the sea it claims is its territory.

The harsh language from Locsin is not unusual. In 2019, he referred to Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines President Romulo Valles as a "moron in a white Mu-Mu" in a tweet after Valles asked people to pray for the country's vice president, Leni Robredo, as she took on a role to fight the country's drug problem.

Newsweek contacted China's embassy in Manila for comment but had not heard back by publication time.