Chinese and Filippino coast guards confronted each other in the South China Sea with Manila claiming that its government vessel was “sideswiped” on Wednesday.
The latest dispute in the controversial waters follows China’s submission of nautical charts to the United Nations, drawing a baseline "territorial waters" around the prime fishing patch of the Scarborough Shoal, which is a major flashpoint between the two.
The fresh flareup has prompted the US to condemn the Chinese actions “putting lives at risk” in the waters.
China’s “unlawful use of water cannons and dangerous manoeuvres” in the South China Sea, its top envoy to Manila said on Wednesday.
China’s actions disrupted Philippine maritime operations and put lives at risk, ambassador MaryKay Carlson said on social media platform X, adding that the US stands with likeminded allies in support of a free and open Pacific.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said two Chinese Navy and three coastguard vessels fired a water cannon aimed "directly at the vessel’s navigational antennas" and “intentionally sideswiped” its vessel during regular petrol in the Scarborough Shoal.
Philippine vessels faced "blocking, shadowing, and dangerous manoeuvres" from Chinese Navy and coastguard ships, PCG spokesperson Jay Tarriela said.
The spokesperson shared multiple videos on his X accounts which showed a vessel targeting another with a water cannon and coming dangerously close while chasing the vessel.
The Chinese coast guard, however, said it tried to “exercise control" over their counterparts after four Philippine ships had attempted to enter its territorial waters around the Scarborough Shoal, which Beijing claims as Huangyan Island.
Liu Dejun, a coast guard spokesperson, said Philippine ships had "dangerously approached" the coast guard’s "normal law enforcement patrol vessels".
He added that one of the Philippine ships "ignored" repeated warnings, with actions that "seriously threatened" the safety of a Chinese coast guard vessel.
"We warn the Philippines to immediately stop infringement, provocation and propaganda, otherwise it will be responsible for all consequences."
US ambassador to the Philippines, MaryKay L Carlson, said China’s “unlawful use of water cannons and dangerous maneuvers disrupted a Philippine maritime operation on December 4, putting lives at risk”.
“We condemn these actions and stand with our likeminded #FriendsPartnersAllies in support of a #FreeAndOpenIndoPacific,” she added.
Confrontations between Manila and Beijing have intensified in the South China Sea, a key trade route where Beijing lays its claim. Countries such as the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam, are all in dispute with Beijing as they claim fishing lines that cut into their exclusive economic zones.
Today, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) conducted a routine maritime patrol in the vicinity of Bajo De Masinloc to support Filipino fishermen actively engaged in fishing in the area. During this operation, our vessels… pic.twitter.com/fORLO6r3SD
— Jay Tarriela (@jaytaryela) December 4, 2024
China’s submission to the UN nautical charts was “a legitimate activity to defend (China’s) territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests” as a party to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), it said in a statement.
However, a spokesperson for the Philippine National Security Council called China’s claims over Bajo de Masinloc, a Filipino name for Scarborough Shoal, as “baseless”.
“It looks like a reinforcement of (China’s) baseless claim over Bajo de Masinloc following their submission of their alleged baselines,” Jonathan Malaya, assistant director-general of the National Security Council, said.
