The Philippines’ military said a Chinese coast guard ship blocked and fired water cannons on a supply vessel in the South China Sea, marking the latest confrontation in the disputed waters.
(Bloomberg) — The Philippines’ military said a Chinese coast guard ship blocked and fired water cannons on a supply vessel in the South China Sea, marking the latest confrontation in the disputed waters.
“The Armed Forces of the Philippines strongly condemns and expresses grave concern over the China Coast Guard’s excessive and offensive actions against Philippine vessels near Ayungin Shoal,” it said in a statement on Sunday, referring to the atoll also known as the Second Thomas Shoal.
The incident took place Saturday as ships from the Philippines were on a routine troop rotation and resupply mission, the military said, adding the second supply boat was not able to unload its cargo due to the Chinese coast guard’s actions.
Separately, China said two supply boats and two coast guard vessels from the Philippines trespassed into waters near the Nansha Islands without approval. The China Coast Guard blocked the Philippine ships and urged the country to immediately stop its activities in the area, according to a statement.
The two nations have been locked in a territorial dispute in the resource-rich waters, with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s government ramping up protests over Beijing’s actions since he took power last year. China has maintained that its presence in the area is legitimate, even after an international tribunal dashed its expansive sea claims in 2016.
The US State Department said it stands with the Philippines in the face of “dangerous actions” by the Chinese coast guard.
China’s actions are “inconsistent with international law and are the latest in repeated threats to the status quo in the South China Sea, directly threatening regional peace and stability,” Matthew Miller, a spokesperson for the State Department, said in an emailed statement.
–With assistance from Felix Tam and Michael Sin.
(Updates with response from China Coast Guard in the fourth paragraph.)
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