China, Philippines trade accusations after vessels collide again in disputed waters  

China and the Philippines are again accusing each other of deliberately causing a crash between two coast guard vessels in the South China Sea. 

Footage posted on social media by the Philippine Coast Guard shows the two large ships appearing to ram into one another in the disputed area.  Photos that accompanied the video showed the damage to the Philippine vessel. 

According to Associated Press reports, the collision occurred early Saturday afternoon local time near Sabina Shoal, a disputed uninhabited atoll claimed by both nations as well as Vietnam and Taiwan. 

A Philippine Coast Guard Official, Jay Tarriela, said on X that a Chinese Coast Guard vessel “deliberately” rammed the Philippines’ vessel three times. 

“The Chinese Coast Guard vessel deliberately rammed and collided with the BRP Teresa Magbanua three times, despite no provocation from the Philippine Coast Guard,” Tarriela stated.

Meanwhile, the China Coast Guard took to Weibo – the country’s main social media platform – to state that a Philippine Coast Guard had “illegally stayed…weighed anchor and continued to maneuver and provoke trouble” near what they claim as the Xianbin Lagoon. 

“The Chinese Coast Guard ship took measures such as shouting warnings and following up with the supervision and control of the ship in accordance with the law,” the China Coast Guard’s post, attributed to a spokesperson named Liu Dejun, read in part.  “At 12:06, the Philippine ship deliberately collided with the Chinese ship… in an unprofessional and dangerous manner. The responsibility lies entirely with the Philippines.” 

The collision comes less than two weeks after another pair of Chinese and Philippine Coast Guard ships collided near Sabina Shoal and five days after the Philippines accused China of “blocking a humanitarian mission” that was to bring food and supplies to personnel stationed aboard the BRP Teresa Magbanua, the same vessel involved in Saturday’s collision.

A deal aimed at reducing rising tensions over another disputed atoll near Sabina Shoal, the Second Thomas Shoal, was reached between the two nations in July. According to the United States Institute for Peace, the agreement came as the rate of maritime confrontations increases in frequency and intensity, raising fear of a broader conflict that could lead the Philippines to invoke its mutual defense treaty with the United States.

There have been territorial disputes in the South China Sea for decades; according to the Center for Preventative Action’s Global Conflict Tracker, the sea is home to an estimated 11 billion barrels of untapped oil and 190 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. 

In addition to China and the Philippines, many nations lay claim to some part of the waters – which also possess other natural resources and fishing areas – including Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam.