The Chinese coast guard on Sunday called on the Philippines to immediately stop its “unlawful actions” after a Philippine vessel illegally entered waters near the Xianbin Reef in China’s Nansha Islands and collided with a Chinese coast guard vessel.
Without permission from the Chinese government, Philippine vessel No. 3002 approached the Xianbin Reef and continuously conducted dangerous maneuvers as it approached China Coast Guard vessels conducting normal navigation missions, the China Coast Guard said in a brief statement on its WeChat account.
Gan Yu, spokesman for the Chinese coast guard, said the Philippine ship illegally entered waters near the Xianbin Reef without permission from the Chinese government, prompting the Chinese coast guard to take control measures.
At 2:12 p.m., the Philippine ship ignored serious warnings from China and intentionally collided with Chinese Coast Guard vessel No. 21551 in an unprofessional and dangerous manner. The Philippines bears full responsibility for this, he said.
“We warn the Philippines to immediately stop its provocative attacks. Otherwise, the Philippines will bear full responsibility for all resulting consequences,” he added.
