China’s coastguard says it has expelled Philippine vessels from waters around the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea while Manila reports a collision in the confrontation.
The Philippine boats were intercepted on Monday after they ignored warnings in an operation China’s coastguard said was “professional, standardised, legitimate and legal”.
The incident is the latest in a series of confrontations between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea, one of the world’s busiest maritime routes, which Beijing claims almost entirely despite an international ruling that the assertion has no legal basis. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also claim parts of the contested waters.
“The China Coast Guard took necessary measures in accordance with the law, including monitoring, pressing from the outside, blocking and controlling the Philippine vessels to drive them away,” said Gan Yu, a Chinese coastguard spokesperson.
Chinese vessel damaged?
Manila, meanwhile, stated that a Chinese navy vessel collided with one from its own coastguard while chasing a Philippine patrol boat, and it released video footage of the confrontation.
“The [Chinese coastguard vessel] CCG 3104, which was chasing the [Philippine coastguard vessel] BRP Suluan at high speed, performed a risky manoeuvre from the [Philippine] vessel’s starboard quarter, leading to the impact with the PLA [People’s Liberation Army] Navy warship,” spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela said in a statement.
“This resulted in substantial damage to the CCG vessel’s forecastle, rendering it unseaworthy,” he said.
The incident occurred as the Philippine coastguard escorted boats distributing aid to fishermen in the area, Tarriela added.
“In a video sent to reporters, a Chinese coastguard vessel can be seen heading towards a Philippine coastguard vessel when suddenly a Chinese navy ship cuts between and that’s when the two Chinese ships collide with each other,” said Al Jazeera’s Barnaby Lo, reporting from Manila.
The Chinese coastguard vessel sustained “significant damage”, a direct result of “dangerous maneuvering by the Chinese”, Lo cited the Philippines as stating.
China made no mention about the collision in its statement.
Manila promises continued presence in disputed waterway
Tarriela told the AFP news agency that the Chinese crew “never responded” to the Philippine ship’s offer of assistance.
During the incident, the BRP Suluan was “targeted with a water cannon” by the Chinese but “successfully” evaded it, Tarriela’s statement said.
Speaking at a news conference on Monday, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said the country’s patrol vessels would “continue to be present” in the area to defend and exercise Manila’s sovereign rights over what it considers to be part of its territory.
The Scarborough Shoal, a triangular chain of reefs and rocks, has been a flashpoint of tension between the countries since China seized it from the Philippines in 2012.
Marcos also addressed another source of tension with Beijing, stating China has “misinterpreted” his recent comments saying Manila would be inevitably drawn into a conflict between China and Taiwan should one erupt.
China accused Marcos of “playing with fire” after the Philippine leader said during a visit to India that “there is no way that the Philippines can stay out of it” due to its proximity to Taiwan.
“We are, I think for propaganda purposes, misinterpreted,” Marcos said.
“War over Taiwan will drag the Philippines kicking and screaming into the conflict. That is what I was trying to say.”
