TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Chinese and Philippine coast guard vessels collided at sea early Monday, damaging at least two vessels, in the latest flashpoint in an increasingly tense standoff between the two countries in the South China Sea.
The collision happened near Sabina Reef, a disputed atoll in the Spratly Islands that is also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan. Both countries blamed the other for the collision. No injuries were reported.
The Chinese coast guard accused the Philippines of deliberately ramming one of its vessels into a Chinese ship. In a statement posted on the China coast guard’s website, a spokesman said two Philippine coast guard vessels entered waters near shallow waters and deliberately rammed a Chinese vessel at 3:24 a.m., ignoring warnings from the Chinese coast guard.
“The Philippines is responsible for the clash,” spokesman Gan Yu said. “We warn the Philippines to immediately stop its violations and provocations, or it will bear all the consequences arising from them.”
Jonathan Malaya, deputy chief of the Philippine government’s National Security Council, said the Chinese Coast Guard’s claim that a Philippine Coast Guard vessel had rammed a Philippine ship was false information.
Malaya told a news forum in Manila that footage and photos taken by U.S. television journalists on board a Philippine coast guard vessel showed that the recent collisions on the high seas were caused by Chinese vessels.
The Philippines’ West Philippine Sea National Task Force said two coast guard vessels, the BRP Bagacay and the BRP Cape Engaño, “encountered illegal and aggressive actions” by Chinese coast guard vessels while en route to the Philippine military-occupied islands of Patag and Lawak in the disputed area.
“These dangerous actions led to a collision and structural damage to two Philippine Coast Guard vessels,” the statement said.
The task force said the collision between the BRP Cape Engano and one of the Chinese vessels left a hole about five inches (12.7 centimeters) in diameter in the deck of the Philippine ship.
About 16 minutes later, another Philippine ship, the BRP Bagacay, was hit twice on the port and starboard sides by another Chinese vessel, causing structural damage, the task force said.
“This is the largest structural damage we have suffered as a result of the Chinese coast guard’s dangerous actions,” Philippine Coast Guard Chief Commodore Jay Tarriera told a news forum in Manila.
“(The Philippine Coast Guard) remains steadfast in its responsibility to ensure the safety and security of our maritime areas while addressing all threats to our national interests,” the Philippine task force said.
Gan added that China claims “indisputable sovereignty” over the Spratly Islands (known as Nansha Islands in Chinese) which include Sabina Reef and its adjacent waters. The Chinese name for Sabina Reef is Xianbin Reef.
“The China Coast Guard has taken control measures against the Philippine vessels in accordance with laws and regulations,” he added.
Sabina Reef, located about 140 kilometers west of Palawan province in the western Philippines, has become the latest flashpoint in the territorial dispute between China and the Philippines.
The Philippine Coast Guard sent one of its main patrol vessels, the BRP Teresa Magbanua, to Sabina in April after Philippine scientists found piles of broken coral in the shallow waters of the island, raising suspicions that China was preparing to build structures on the atoll. The Chinese Coast Guard then sent vessels to Sabina in the new territorial dispute.
Sabina is located near the Second Thomas Shoal, which is occupied by the Philippines. An increasingly worrying conflict Since last year, there have been clashes between Chinese and Philippine coast guard vessels and accompanying ships.
China and the Philippines An agreement was reached To prevent further clashes, China expanded its trade with the Philippines last month as it shipped new patrols, food and other supplies to a Manila-held outpost at Second Thomas Shoal that is heavily guarded by vessels believed to be Chinese coast guard, navy and militia.
A week after the agreement was reached, the Philippine Navy delivered food and personnel to Second Thomas Shoal without any reported incidents, raising hopes that tensions on the reef may finally be easing.
“Obviously, we are disappointed again,” Malaya said. “Despite this preliminary agreement, which we hoped would be the start of a new chapter in Philippine-China relations, another incident has occurred.”
“PRC” refers to China’s official name, the People’s Republic of China.
China has long been at odds with countries in the Asia-Pacific region over vast maritime interests, including almost the entire South China Sea, a strategic and resource-rich waterway. Draw a ten-dotted line on an official map to define the area considered to be one’s own territory.
Beijing is in the midst of a major arms expansion and is increasingly aggressively strengthening its military capabilities. The claimdirect confrontations with the Philippines became more frequent, Long-standing territorial disputes Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Brunei.
a 2016 United Nations Arbitration Court ruling The court invalidated Beijing’s claims in the South China Sea, but China did not participate in the trial and rejected the ruling.
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Gomez reported from Manila, Philippines.
