- The Chinese coast guard said a Philippine ship acted “unprofessionally and dangerously”, ignored repeated warnings and deliberately collided with a Chinese ship.
- This is the latest confrontation between ships from the two countries in the waters around the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, which both countries claim as their own.
China’s coast guard on Monday accused Philippine vessels of “illegally” entering waters near Escoda Reef and colliding with one of its vessels, the latest territorial dispute between the two countries.
According to a statement by the Chinese coast guard, one of the Philippine ships acted “unprofessionally and dangerously” by ignoring repeated warnings and deliberately colliding with a Chinese ship.
“We warn the Philippines to immediately stop its aggression and provocations, otherwise the Philippines will be responsible for all the consequences arising from this,” the statement said.
Videos published on the Chinese Coast Guard website appear to show the collision.
Escoda Reef, also known as Sabina Reef and Xianbin Reef, is located in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. It has been the scene of a standoff between China and the Philippines since April, when one of the Philippine Coast Guard’s largest vessels, the BRP Teresa Magbanua, was sent there.
On Friday, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said Beijing had warned the Philippines to stop its rights violations and withdraw its ship from the waters.
Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Jay Tarriela denied Beijing’s claims on social media, responding to a post by Chinese state-controlled media Global Times that questioned Manila’s presence in the waters.
“Escoda Shoal is within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2016 arbitration award,” Tarriela said.
“Our Philippine Coast Guard vessels have the right to operate in the Escoda Shoal lagoon for as long as necessary without the need for permission from any other country,” he added.
According to Tarriela, the Philippine Coast Guard did not deploy its vessel to provoke or escalate tensions, but to protect and preserve its sovereign rights over the waters.
Tensions between China and the Philippines in the Spratly Islands have been escalating for months.
In the waters around another disputed area, the Second Thomas Shoal, Filipino ships were rammed and fired upon with water cannons.. In one case, according to Philippine authorities, China hijacked Philippine boats and injured naval personnel on board.
Last month, China and the Philippines reached a tentative agreement over the disputed Second Thomas Reef, but the two sides soon began publicly arguing over the terms of the deal.
The Philippines accused the Chinese air force last week of conducting dangerous maneuvers over the nearby Scarborough Reef.
Beijing’s actions drew criticism from Philippine allies, including the United States, which has a mutual defense pact with the country.
On Friday, Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo reportedly tried to allay Chinese concerns about the presence of a U.S.-gifted missile system in the Philippines, saying it posed no threat to China and would not destabilize the region. In July, the U.S. promised the country $500 million in military aid.
In addition, the Philippines has expanded its military cooperation with Japan.
Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesman for China’s Defense Ministry, said on Friday that defense cooperation between the Philippines, the United States and Japan should not target third parties or disrupt regional peace and stability.
“The Philippines invites the wolves into its home and willingly acts as their pawns, which is despised by other countries in the region,” he added.
