China accuses Philippine supply ship of hitting Chinese ship in South China Sea
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A Chinese coast guard vessel blocking the Philippine resupply vessel Unaizah May 4 on March 5, 2024.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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BEIJING - China and the Philippines traded accusations over a maritime collision in the South China Sea on June 17, the latest in an increasingly testy series of confrontations over the disputed waters.
China’s Coast Guard said a Philippine supply ship “deliberately and dangerously” approached a Chinese ship resulting in a slight collision after it “illegally intruded” into waters near Second Thomas Shoal, a charge that Manila rejected as “deceptive and misleading”.
US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson condemned China’s “aggressive, dangerous” manoeuvres in a post on X, saying the collision had “caused bodily injury”.
Manila declined to comment directly on the incident, but lashed out at Beijing after a Chinese coast guard statement said the Philippine transport and replenishment ship ignored China’s repeated solemn warnings.
“We will not dignify the deceptive and misleading claims of the China Coast Guard (CCG),” said Xerxes Trinidad, chief of the Philippine armed forces’ public affairs office, adding they would not discuss operational details of resupply missions.
“The continued aggressive actions of the CCG are escalating tensions in the region,” Trinidad said. The Philippine military maintains that the main issue is the illegal presence and actions of Chinese vessels within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than US$3 trillion (S$4 trillion) of annual ship-borne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.
Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Jay Tarriela said the agency was not in a position to provide any details as it was not a coast guard operation.
The Philippines’ task force on the South China Sea said Chinese vessels engaged in ramming and towing, putting lives at risk and damaging boats.
“China’s dangerous and reckless behaviour in the West Philippine Sea shall be resisted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” Mr Gilberto Teodoro, Manila’s defence minister, said in a statement. “China’s actions are the true obstacles to peace and stability in the South China Sea.”
For months, China and the Philippines have traded accusations over dangerous manoeuvres and collisions
Several incidents have happened when the Philippines deployed resupply missions for Filipino soldiers living aboard an ageing warship there deliberately run aground to protect Manila’s maritime claims.
China had previously warned the Philippines about intruding into its territorial waters and the country has issued new rules
The new rules allow the coast guard to detain suspected trespassers without trial for 60 days.
In response, the Philippine Coast Guard said separately on June 17 it has ordered the deployment of two vessels to patrol and ensure the safety of Filipino fishermen at Scarborough Shoal - about 640km away from Second Thomas Shoal.
Separately, the US Pacific Fleet said in a statement it had concluded a two-day joint maritime exercise with the militaries of Canada, Japan, and the Philippines within Manila’s 200-mile EEZ in the South China Sea. REUTERS
