Chinese, Philippine ships collide near disputed shoal in South China Sea

Both sides traded accusations six days aft Beijing announced plans to crook the atoll into a quality reserve.

Ships from China and the Philippines are reported to person collided adjacent the disputed Scarborough Shoal successful the South China Sea, amid escalating maritime tensions betwixt the 2 countries.

Both sides traded accusations connected Tuesday, with China claiming that the Philippines had rammed 1 of its coastguard vessels successful the area.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 3China’s subject warns Philippines against provocations successful South China Sea
• list 2 of 3US condemns Beijing’s South China Sea ‘nature reserve’ plan
• list 3 of 3Philippines ‘strongly protests’ China quality sphere successful South China Sea

For its part, the Philippine Coast Guard said Chinese “aggressive actions” had damaged 1 of its vessels and injured 1 of its personnel, who sustained injuries from solid that was shattered by a Chinese h2o cannon.

A China Coast Guard spokesperson confirmed that it had utilized h2o cannon aft the accomplishment of 10 Philippine boats, which it suggested were determination “illegally”.

“The China Coast Guard lawfully implemented power measures against the Philippine ships,” Gan Yu said, noting this besides included giving verbal warnings and way restrictions.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Coast Guard said its vessels had met with aggression from 9 Chinese vessels erstwhile they arrived astatine the shoal to resupply much than 35 of its country’s sportfishing boats.

A spokesperson for the Philippine Maritime Council told the Reuters quality bureau determination was “no truth” to China’s assertion that it had taken power measures against the Philippine ships, adding it was “another lawsuit of Chinese disinformation and propaganda”.

The latest incidental astatine the shoal, which is called Huangyan Island successful China and Panatag Shoal successful the Philippines, comes little than a week aft Beijing said it would crook the 8,650-acre disputed atoll into a quality reserve to warrant “diversity, stableness and sustainability”.

The Philippines and its allies condemned China for the decision, which they accidental has small to bash with promoting biodiversity and much to bash with expansionism.

The Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs said the pursuing time that it would motorboat a “formal diplomatic protestation against this illegitimate and unlawful action”.

The United States besides deed retired astatine the move, with its Secretary of State Marco Rubio taking to X to cull what helium called China’s “destabilising plans” for Scarborough Reef, which lies 240km (150 miles) westbound of Luzon, the Philippines’ main island.

The Canadian embassy successful the Philippines took the aforesaid position, suggesting that China’s “attempts to usage biology protection” were a screen for taking power of the shoal.

China claims astir the full South China Sea, and has unresolved maritime disputes with galore countries successful the region, including the Philippines and Vietnam.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration successful The Hague ruled that Beijing’s claims were not backed by planetary law, a decision rejected by Beijing.

Last week, China warned the Philippines not to provoke it successful the South China Sea, referencing associated subject drills carried retired with the US and Japan determination past week.

“Any effort to disturbance up occupation oregon disrupt the concern volition not succeed,” said a spokesperson for the Chinese military’s Southern Theater Command.