TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China and the Philippines accused each other of causing their two ships to collide Saturday in the latest flare-up of tensions over disputed waters and maritime features in the South China Sea.
In a statement posted on social media, Chinese Coast Guard spokesman Liu Dejun said a Philippine vessel had maneuvered and “deliberately rammed” a Chinese Coast Guard vessel “in an unprofessional and dangerous manner.”
Philippine officials in Manila said it was their coast guard vessel, the BRP Teresa Magbanua, that was rammed three times by the Chinese coast guard without any provocation, causing damage to the Philippine vessel.
It was the second confrontation in just days near Sabina Shoal, about 140 kilometers (90 miles) west of the Philippine province of Palawan, in the Philippines’ internationally recognized exclusive economic zone.
The Philippine vessel Magbanua has been anchored in Sabina since mid-April, after Manila suspected China was building a structure to seize the uninhabited atoll. China harbored similar suspicions and recently lodged a diplomatic protest against the Philippines over the vessel’s prolonged presence on the shoal.
China is rapidly expanding its military and increasingly asserting its claims to nearly all of the South China Sea, which is crucial to international trade. The tensions have led to more frequent confrontations, primarily with the Philippines, and could spill over to the United States, which is bound by a Philippine defense treaty. Long-running territorial disputes also involve other countries, including Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.
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China has rejected the ruling of a UN-backed arbitration panel that denied almost all of its historic claims in the South China Sea.
Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard told a news conference in Manila that the Magbanua had again dropped anchor and would not withdraw from Sabina Shoal “despite harassment, intimidation and escalation of measures by the Chinese Coast Guard.”
A video released by the Philippine Coast Guard appears to show the Magbanua being rammed by a Chinese Coast Guard vessel.
The United States condemned “the PRC’s (People’s Republic of China) multiple dangerous violations of international law, including today’s intentional ramming of the BRP Teresa Magbanua while it was conducting lawful operations in the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone.”
“We support the Philippines in upholding international law,” U.S. Ambassador to Manila MaryKay Carlson said in a statement posted on X.
The United States has repeatedly warned that it is obligated to defend the Philippines if Philippine forces come under armed attack in the South China Sea.
On Tuesday, Admiral Samuel Paparo, head of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, said the U.S. military was open to consultations on escorting Philippine ships in disputed waters.
The Chinese Coast Guard, Navy and accompanying vessels have regularly clashed with Philippine ships as they attempted to resupply Filipino sailors stationed in areas of the South China Sea claimed by both countries. As the confrontations have become increasingly hostile, resulting in injuries to Filipino sailors and damage to their ships, the Philippine government has faced questions about whether it should invoke its alliance treaty with Washington.
Sabina Shoal is near Second Thomas Shoal, another flashpoint where China has obstructed the resupply of Philippine forces. The two countries reached an agreement last month to prevent further clashes on the shoal.
Also Saturday, Japan lodged a formal protest through the Chinese embassy over what it called an incursion by a Chinese research vessel into its territorial waters. The latest such incident has added to unease among Japanese defense officials already concerned about growing military cooperation between the Chinese and Russian air forces.
Tokyo also protested Monday over a Chinese military plane temporarily entering southwestern Japan’s airspace. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said Tuesday that his country had “no intention” of violating any country’s airspace.
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Associated Press writers Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines, and Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo contributed to this report.
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