China and the Philippines exchanged accusations after a collision in disputed waters of the South China Sea as Chinese ships blocked Philippine boats on Sunday, the latest in a series of maritime conflicts in the region.
The two countries have had several disagreements in the South China Sea in recent months, particularly near Second Thomas Shoal, part of the Spratly Islands, a disputed area.
The Philippines has sent supplies to troops stationed on a rusty World War IIera transport ship that served as an outpost on the shoal, prompting the Chinese coast guard to repeatedly dispatch ships to block resupply missions.
In Sunday’s incident, the Chinese Coast Guard said there was a “minor collision” between one of its vessels and the Philippine ship, while the Coast Guard “legally” stopped the boat from carrying “illegal construction materials” to the ship .
Manila responded by condemning “in the strongest possible terms” the Chinese ship’s “dangerous blockade maneuvers.”
China’s “dangerous, irresponsible and illegal actions” “violate the sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction of the Philippines,” Manila’s Philippine Sea Task Force said in a statement.
Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, including parts of the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. The Permanent Court of Arbitration said in 2016 that China’s claims had no legal basis.
“China has maintained great restraint and patience on this matter,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.
China has long had intensive communication with Manila, but this has disregarded China’s goodwill, the ministry said in a statement.
China will continue to take necessary measures in accordance with domestic and international laws to protect its territorial sovereignty, he said.
DANGEROUS PROVOCATIONS
The United States expressed support for the Philippines and condemned China’s “interference with a legitimate Philippine resupply mission.”
“We stand with our #FriendsPartnerAllies in protecting Philippine sovereignty and supporting a #FreeAndOpenIndoPacific,” Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson wrote on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
The Canadian and Japanese embassies in Manila also expressed support for the Philippines and were alarmed by the collision. EU Ambassador Luc Veron said: “These incidents, their repetition and their intensification are dangerous and very worrying.”
Manila’s relations with Beijing have deteriorated under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has increased military engagement with Washington since taking office last year. The Pentagon said in May it would protect the Philippines if its coast guard was attacked “anywhere in the South China Sea.”
Last week, the Philippine military called on China to stop its “dangerous and offensive” actions after a Chinese naval ship followed and attempted to cut off a Philippine naval vessel conducting a resupply mission.
Sunday’s collision occurred during a routine refueling mission of a ship contracted by the Philippine Armed Forces, Manila said.
In a separate incident during the same resupply mission, Manila said a Philippine Coast Guard ship was rammed on its port side by a Chinese maritime militia ship.
The Chinese coast guard ship’s actions “endangered the safety of the crew” of the Philippine boat, the task force said.
The Chinese Coast Guard said in a statement that the Philippine ship ignored repeated warnings, crossed the Chinese ship’s bow and “deliberately provoked trouble,” causing the collision.
“The Philippines’ behavior seriously violates international rules on preventing collisions at sea and endangers the navigation safety of our ships,” the Chinese coast guard said.
Manila ran the warship BRP Sierra Madre aground in 1999 as part of its claim to sovereignty over Second Thomas Shoal, which lies in its exclusive economic zone.
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