Moment as Chinese ship hits Philippine ship Philippine Coast Guard/AFP 12/10/2023
One Philippine boat and a Chinese Coast Guard vessel collided this Sunday (10) near a reef disputed between the two countries South China Sea, Asia (Watch the video below). The two nations blame each other for this new confrontation in the region. characterized by tensions between neighbors.
The incident occurred during a Philippine boat refueling mission near the Ayungin sandbar in the Spratly Islands, a point of tension between Manila and Beijing.
On Saturday (9), the Philippines had already accused the Chinese Coast Guard of using water cannons to prevent three official government boats from delivering supplies and fuel to Filipino fishermen near Scarborough Atoll, next to the main island of Luzon.
Beijing claims almost all of these waters, a key corridor for global trade that conflicts with the claims of other countries such as the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei. To bolster its claims, China sends patrols and builds artificial islands that it fills with soldiers.
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Today, the Philippines reported that Chinese Coast Guard boats “harassed, blocked and conducted dangerous maneuvers against Filipino civilian supply vessels.” One of the boats loaded with food was “rammed” by a Chinese ship, the West Philippine Sea Special Operations Unit said in a statement.
In addition, a Chinese ship also used a water cannon against all boats carrying supplies and a Philippine Coast Guard ship that was escorting the mission, the same source added.
This caused “severe damage” to the engine of one of the supply boats and destroyed the coast guard vessel's mast, the Philippines said.
What does China say?
On the other hand, the Chinese Coast Guard accused the Philippine vessel of “deliberately ramming into the Chinese vessel” after it “disregarded several clear warnings.”
In the statement, China claims that the Philippine boat “suddenly changed direction in an unprofessional and dangerous manner and intentionally collided with our coast guard vessel “21556” which was conducting a joint surveillance mission.
On the contrary, the incident caused a convoy of civilian ships that were supposed to deliver supplies to fishermen and Filipino military personnel in these waters to cancel their mission due to the “constant pursuit” of Chinese ships, the organizer said.
“Deeply worrying”
Foreign graduates in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, responded immediately after the incident. United States Ambassador MaryKay Carlson said her country “stands with the Philippines and its partners and condemns the People's Republic of China's repeated illegal and dangerous actions against Philippine vessels.”
European Union Ambassador Luc Veron said Sunday's episode was “deeply worrying.”
The Philippines and China have a long history of maritime accidents in the disputed South China Sea, where about $3 trillion in international trade passes annually.
Relations between Beijing and Manila have deteriorated under the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos, who has strengthened ties with the United States and opposed China's actions in the region. Marcos warned last month that the situation in those waters had “worsened.”