New Delhi, July 21 -- BEIJING - China summoned the Philippine ambassador on Tuesday and formally accused Manila of initiating a confrontation at Second Thomas Shoal, positioning Beijing as the aggrieved party hours before ASEAN foreign ministers gathered in Manila for annual talks on the South China Sea.

The incident occurred on Monday morning at approximately 9 AM local time, when Chinese and Philippine maritime forces clashed near the BRP Sierra Madre, a rusting Philippine warship grounded at the shoal since 1999. The China Coast Guard said two Philippine rubber dinghies were deployed from the vessel and approached a Chinese patrol ship "in a dangerous manner," ramming it from the front. It said Philippine crew members then "used tools...