Chinese and Philippine Vessels Clash in south China Sea
MANILA, Philippines (AP) – A confrontation between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the South China Sea on Tuesday resulted in damage to a Philippine ship and injury to a crew member, escalating tensions over the disputed waterway.The Philippine coast guard accused Chinese forces of using powerful water cannons against its vessels while delivering supplies to Filipino fishermen near Scarborough Shoal, a contested area known as Huangyan Island in chinese.
The Philippine coast guard stated that two Chinese coast guard ships targeted the BRP Datu Gumbay Piang with water cannons for nearly 30 minutes, causing “significant damage” to the ship’s captain’s cabin, bridge, and electrical systems. A shattered glass window injured a personnel on board. Together, a Chinese navy warship issued a radio notice announcing “live-fire exercises” at the shoal, prompting alarm among Filipino fishermen in the vicinity.
China’s coast guard acknowledged deploying water cannons, claiming that more than 10 Philippine government ships had entered waters around the shoal.
The incident occured six days after China announced the designation of part of Scarborough Shoal as a national nature reserve, a move protested by the Philippines, which refers to the shoal as Bajo de Masinloc.
The South China Sea is a strategically vital region with valuable fishing grounds, and is subject to overlapping territorial claims from several countries, including China and the Philippines. China asserts sovereignty over almost the entire sea, a claim disputed by its neighbors.
The United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and canada have expressed concern over China’s actions.U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the incident “yet another coercive move” by China to advance its claims in the region.The Canadian Embassy in the Philippines stated its opposition to using environmental protection as a pretext for asserting control over the disputed shoal.
The philippine coast guard and fisheries ships were providing aid-fuel, water, ice, and other supplies-to over 35 filipino fishing boats in the area at the time of the incident.