China, Philippine vessels clash at sea

This frame grab from handout video footage taken and released yesterday by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) shows a Chinese coast guard ship (right) in a collision with the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel BRP Datu Sanday, near Sabina Shoal in disputed waters of the South China Sea. – AFP

The Philippines and China clashed in disputed waters of the South China Sea yesterday over what Manila said was a resupply mission for fishermen, the latest in a series of sea and air confrontations in the strategic waterway.
The incident overshadows efforts by both nations to rebuild trust and better manage disputes after months of confrontations, including a violent clash in June, in which a Filipino sailor lost a finger.
Yesterday the Philippines accused China of “aggressive and dangerous manoeuvres” to block the resupply mission.
China Coast Guard spokesman Gan Yu said the collision occurred when a Philippine vessel refused to comply with “control measures” after attempting to deliver supplies to another vessel “illegally stationed” near Xianbin Reef in the Nansha Islands – using the Chinese names for the Sabina Shoal and the Spratly Islands also claimed by Manila.
“China warns the Philippines to immediately cease its infringing actions, otherwise the Philippines will bear all consequences resulting from this situation,” Gan said.
China’s coast guard said the Philippine vessel repeatedly approached Chinese ships in a dangerous manner.
In the incident near the Sabina Shoal, the Philippine South China Sea task force said Chinese vessels rammed and used water cannons against a Philippine Bureau of Fisheries ship transporting food, fuel and medical supplies for Filipino fishermen.
The Chinese vessels “made close perilous manoeuvres that resulted in ramming, blasted horns, and deployed water cannons”, leading to an early termination of the resupply operation after their ship experienced engine failure, a statement from Manila’s National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea said.
“These unprofessional, aggressive, and illegal actions posed serious risks to the safety of the Filipino crew and the fishermen they were meant to serve,” the statement said, adding that no one was harmed.
Footage released by the Philippine Coast Guard showed a Chinese ship approaching and ramming the left side of its vessel.
Another clip showed a Chinese vessel travelling parallel to the Philippine ship, just metres away.
For its part, the Chinese coast guard said the Philippine ship “ignored repeated serious warnings and deliberately approached and rammed” China’s law enforcement boat, resulting in a collision.
The Chinese added that it rescued Filipino “personnel” who fell overboard during the collision, and that responsibility for the collision lies entirely on the Philippine side.
China asserts sovereignty over nearly all of the South China Sea, including areas claimed by the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Brunei.
Beijing has deployed an armada of vessels to protect its claims.
An international arbitral tribunal in 2016 ruled that Beijing’s claim had no basis under international law, a landmark victory for the Philippines, which filed the case.
Beijing rejects that decision.
The Philippines and China agreed to “restore trust” and “rebuild confidence” to manage maritime disputes in a high-level meeting last month.
That was followed by a provisional arrangement about Manila’s resupply missions to a beached Filipino naval ship in the South China Sea.
“These unprofessional, aggressive and illegal actions posed serious risks to the safety of the Filipino crew and the fishermen they were meant to serve,” the Philippine task force said of yesterday’s confrontation.
It said the Bureau of Fisheries vessel, operating from Half-Moon Shoal to Sabina Shoal, encountered multiple Chinese vessels that deployed “perilous manoeuvres”, causing its engine to fail and forcing it to end the resupply mission.
Manila repeated its call for Beijing to halt “provocative actions that destabilise regional peace and security”.
Treaty ally the United States reiterated yesterday its support for the Philippines.
“Unsafe, unlawful and aggressive conduct by the PRC (People’s Republic of China) disrupted a legal Philippine mission, endangering lives,” US ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson said on social media platform X.
On Saturday Manila accused Beijing of “unjustifiably” deploying flares from the China-occupied Subi Reef on Thursday while a Manila aircraft was conducting patrols.
The same aircraft had “faced harassment” from a Chinese jet fighter while it was conducting a surveillance flight near the Scarborough Shoal last Monday, the Philippines said.