The Philippines has accused China of “dangerous manoeuvres” in the disputed South China Sea that damaged its vessels and left four Filipinos with minor injuries, warning such action had put lives at risk.
The Philippines said Chinese coastguard and maritime militia vessels had caused two collisions, which led to superficial structural damage to the hull of one of its coastguard vessels. The simultaneous use of water cannon by two Chinese vessels against a civilian supply boat shattered the vessel’s windshield and caused minor injuries to at least four personnel onboard, according to a Philippine national taskforce.
The incidents occurred as the Philippines carried out a resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre, a second world war-era ship that serves as an outpost for a small contingent of Philippine troops. The rusting ship was grounded in the shallow waters of Second Thomas Shoal, a submerged reef located in the Spratly Islands, in 1999.
The armed forces of the Philippines said the rotation and reprovisioning of troops on the BRP Sierra Madre was “a routine task to sustain military forces deployed in the West Philippine Sea and maintain Philippine presence in its exclusive economic zone.”
Footage of one of the incidents, shared by the Philippines, showed its crew rushing to place a buffer between the two coastguard vessels as they collided. Their Chinese counterparts stand filming the incident.
China said its coastguards had taken measures against a Philippine vessel that “illegally intruded” into waters near the Second Thomas Shoal.
The Philippine side had “deliberately stirred up trouble” with China and “maliciously stirred up propaganda and continued to undermine peace and stability in the South China Sea”, it said.
The disputed atoll lies 118 miles (190km) off the Philippine island of Palawan, within Manila’s exclusive economic zone, and is a flashpoint in the South China Sea.
The Philippines has frequently accused Chinese vessels of aggressive and dangerous attempts to block its resupply missions to the shoal. Analysts have warned that, as incidents become more common, there is a risk of miscalculation that could pull the US, a Philippine ally, into confrontation with its rival Beijing.
China claims the South China Sea almost entirely, despite a 2015 ruling by an international tribunal in The Hague finding this to be without legal basis.
The South China Sea is one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, with estimates suggesting trillions of dollars in trade passes through the sea annually. It also contains oil and natural gas reserves, as well as being a rich source of fish.
China’s claim of sovereignty over most of the South China Sea cuts into the exclusive economic zones of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.
