Chinese and Philippine vessels collided on early Monday in the disputed South China Sea, according to officials from the two countries.
China’s coast guard blamed the Philippines for the incident near Sabina Shoal, saying a Philippine vessel ignored its warnings and “deliberately collided” with a Chinese vessel.
According to Agence France-Press (AFP), Manila’s National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea disputed China’s version of events, saying two of its coast guard ships were damaged by Chinese vessels engaged in “unlawful and aggressive maneuvers” near Sabina Shoal.
The task force added the incident “resulted in collisions causing structural damage to both Philippine Coast Guard vessels,” AFP reported.
Photo by TED ALJIBE/AFP via Getty Images
Reuters reported China’s coast guard posted a short video on social media that showed the vessels collided at around 3:24 a.m.
Sabina Shoal is a disputed atoll in the Spratly Islands, which is claimed by China and the Philippines, as well as by Vietnam and Taiwan. The Spratly Islands are known in Chinese as Nansha Islands, while China calls Sabina Shoal the Xianbin Reef.
“The Philippine side is entirely responsible for the collision,” China Coast Guard spokesman Gan Yu said in a statement, according to the Associated Press (AP). “We warn the Philippine side to immediately stop its infringement and provocation, otherwise it will bear all the consequences arising from that.”
The AP reported that Gan also said China claims “indisputable sovereignty” over the Spratly Islands.
According to AFP, Manila’s National Security Council director-general Jonathan Malaya said two vessels from the Philippines were damaged, including a coast guard ship that Malaya said was “rammed twice” by a China coast guard vessel.
The AP noted that Sabina Shoal has recently become a “new flashpoint” in the territorial disputes between Beijing and Manila.
Manila’s coast guard dispatched a patrol ship to Sabina Shoal in April after Filipino scientists reported finding crushed corals in its shallows. The discovery created concern that Beijing may have been preparing for construction in the atoll. China responded by sending members of its coast guard to the area.
Earlier this month, tensions arose between the two countries after an air incident in the Scarborough Shoal.
The chief of the Philippine armed forces on August 10 accused China of dangerous flight maneuvers near the Scarborough Shoal, which is also located in the disputed territory of the South China Sea.
General Romeo Brawner Jr. said a pair of Chinese fighter jets fired flares in the path of a Philippine Air Force NC-212i medium cargo plane while it was on a “routine maritime patrol” over the Scarborough Shoal.
The Chinese military’s Southern Theater Command responded with a statement that said the Philippine plane had “insisted on illegally intruding into the airspace of Scarborough Shoal” after multiple warnings. The Command added its pilots had warned and driven away the plane “in accordance with the law.”