Philippine and Chinese vessels collided Tuesday near a disputed South China Sea shoal, where Chinese coast guard ships fired water cannons as tensions escalate over the rivals’ long-running maritime dispute.
The China Coast Guard accused Manila of illegally intruding into its territorial waters as more than 10 Philippine vessels sailed near Scarborough Shoal, known in China as Huangyan Island. Beijing said one Philippine government ship ignored repeated warnings and at around 10 a.m. “deliberately rammed a Chinese Coast Guard vessel,” prompting it to take enforcement measures.
“The Philippines’ deliberate, infringing, and provocative actions are egregious in nature, and the responsibility for the collision lies solely with the Philippines,” the China Coast Guard said in a statement.
Alexander Lopez, spokesperson for the Philippines’ National Maritime Council, disputed the account. It was “another case of Chinese propaganda directed or targeting its domestic audience!,” he said in a mobile phone message.
The two countries have long been at odds over Scarborough Shoal, a rich fishing ground about 120 nautical miles west of the Philippine province of Zambales. China took control of the shoal in 2012 after a standoff, though Manila insists it is within its exclusive economic zone.
Tensions resurfaced last week after Beijing approved a plan to build a national nature reserve there, drawing criticism from the US, which has a mutual defense treaty with the Philippines. Over the weekend, the Philippines, Japan and the US conducted joint exercises in the South China Sea, after which China warned Manila “to immediately cease provoking incidents and escalating tensions.”
Since taking office in 2022, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has strengthened ties with Washington and other allies to counter Beijing’s expansive maritime claims, which were invalidated by a 2016 international arbitration ruling. The strategic waterway is believed to hold vast oil and gas reserves and where trillions of dollars in global trade pass each year.
Photograph: A Philippine coast guard ship. Photo credit: Richard A. Brooks/AFP/Getty Images
Topics China
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