China Coast Guard Water Cannons Philippine Counterpart. This screen capture from an April 29 video shows two China Coast Guard vessels deploying water cannons against a Philippine Coast Guard ship that Manila says was part of a mission to deliver food and fuel to local fishermen. The incident, which took place near Second Thomas Shoal, within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
Philippine Coast Guard
Chinese coast guard vessels have fired their water cannons against a routine Philippine patrol, further ratcheting up tensions between Beijing and the U.S. defense treaty ally in the South China Sea.
The Philippine vessels, comprising coast guard cutter BRP Bagacay and fisheries bureau ship the BRP Bankaw, were on a mission to distribute fuel and food to fishermen near the contested area known as Scarborough Shoal on Sunday, when the boats were targeted, said the Philippine Coast Guard.
During their patrol, the government mission was intercepted by Chinese coast guard and paramilitary Maritime Militia ships, which proceeded to conduct “dangerous maneuvers and obstruction,” coast guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela wrote on X (formerly Twitter) Monday.
About 14 miles from the Shoal, China coast guard ships fired their water cannon at the fisheries vessel. Its coast guard escort subsequently came under fire from two different directions, inflicting damage to its canopy and railing, Tarriela said.
He added that the China coast guard had put in place a 380 meter (1,050 foot) “floating barrier at the mouth of the Shoal to block access.
China claims sovereignty over upward of 90 percent of the heavily trafficked South China Sea, including waters located within the internationally exclusive economic zones of the Philippines and its neighbors.
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This story was originally published April 30, 2024, 6:00 AM.