CHINA PLAYING WITH FIRE IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA


(UPDATE) A CHINA Coast Guard (CCG) ship rammed a Philippine boat that was delivering supplies to Filipino troops stationed on the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal Sunday morning.

Based on monitoring by United States-based security expert Ray Powell, the incident involved the boat Unaiza May 1 and the CCG ship 21556.

It happened just hours after three vessels of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and several Philippine fishing boats were subjected to “illegal and aggressive actions” by CCG and Chinese Maritime Militia (CMM) ships off Bajo de Masinloc in the West Philippine Sea.AHOY! This handout photo taken and released on Dec. 10, 2023, by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) shows a China Coast Guard vessel (right) using water cannon against the M/L Kalayaan chartered supply boat during a mission to deliver provisions at Second Thomas Shoal in disputed waters of the South China Sea (SCS). A Philippine boat was ‘rammed’ by a Chinese coast guard ship during a resupply mission on Sunday, the PCG said, in the latest such confrontation in the disputed SCS. AFP PHOTO

South China Sea: Philippine and Chinese vessels collide in contested waters

Powell said the Philippine Cost Guard (PCG) vessels BRP Cabra and BRP Sindangan were escorting the Unaiza May 1 and another boat, the Kalayaan, during the resupply mission.

The Philippine convoy faced a blockading force of 14 Chinese militia ships and two CCG vessels, said Powell.

By George WrightBBC News
Reuters A Chinese Coast Guard ship uses a water cannon against a Filipino resupply vessel heading towards the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, in the South China Sea, on 10 DecemberReuters
The Philippines accused China of causing “severe damage” to the engine of one boat after using water cannon

A Philippine boat and Chinese ship have collided near a contested reef, in the latest territorial dispute between the two countries in the South China Sea.

The Philippines said China had “harassed, blocked, and executed dangerous manoeuvres”.

It comes a day after the Philippines accused China of using water cannons to obstruct three of its vessels.

The South China Sea is at the centre of a territorial dispute between China, the Philippines and other countries.

The Philippines said on Sunday that China had targeted Philippine civilian supply vessels in the Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands, a flashpoint between the two countries.

One of two boats carrying provisions was “rammed” by a Chinese coast guard ship, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea said in a statement.

It also accused China of causing “severe damage” to the engine of one boat after using water cannon.

But the China Coast Guard accused the Philippine boat of “deliberately colliding” with the Chinese vessel after “disregarding our multiple stern warnings”.

Separately, a convoy of civilian boats planning to deliver Christmas presents and provisions to Filipino fishermen and troops in the South China Sea aborted the trip due to “constant shadowing” by Chinese vessels, the organiser said.

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Watch: Chinese ships “fire water at Philippine vessels”

It comes after the Philippines accused China of using war cannons to obstruct three of its vessels on Saturday, in what it called “illegal and aggressive” actions. Beijing said it had used what it called “control measures” on ships that had intruded into its waters.

Earlier this week, the Philippines accused China of “swarming” a reef off its coast after more than 135 military boats were spotted in the South China Sea.

Friction between the two countries over competing sovereignty claims has increased since Ferdinand Marcos Jr became Philippine president last year.

Last month, the Philippines carried out two separate joint air and sea patrols with the US, and with Australia a few days earlier.

An international tribunal invalidated China’s claim to 90% of the South China Sea in 2016, but Beijing does not recognise the ruling and has been building islands in the disputed waters in recent years.

The contested waters have also become a naval flashpoint for China-US relations, and in October US President Joe Biden warned that the US will defend the Philippines in case of any attack.

President Biden’s comments were made days after two collisions between Filipino and Chinese vessels in the waters.

Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Brunei also claim parts of the sea.