Manila:
A Philippine boat and a Chinese coast guard ship collided near a hotly contested reef on Sunday, with both countries exchanging blame for the latest confrontation in the disputed South China Sea.
The incident occurred during a Philippine supply mission to a small garrison on Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands, a flashpoint for Manila and Beijing.
It comes a day after the Philippines accused the Chinese coast guard of using water cannons to “hinder” three government boats delivering supplies to Filipino fishermen near Scarborough Shoal, off the main island of Luzon.
Longstanding maritime tensions between Manila and Beijing have flared in recent months after multiple incidents involving Philippine and Chinese ships, including two previous collisions.
China claims virtually the entire South China Sea, including waters and islands near the coasts of its neighbors, and has ignored an international tribunal ruling that its claims have no legal basis. It deploys boats to patrol the busy waterway and has built artificial islands that it has militarized to bolster its claims.
The Philippines said on Sunday that “Chinese Coast Guard vessels and Chinese Maritime Militia harassed, blocked and carried out dangerous maneuvers on Philippine civilian supply ships.”
One of the two boats carrying supplies was “rammed” by a Chinese Coast Guard vessel, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea said in a statement.
A Chinese ship also used water cannons against the two supply boats and a Philippine Coast Guard ship escorting the mission, the multi-agency task force said.
That caused “severe damage” to the engine of one of the supply boats and damaged the mast of the coast guard ship.
However, the Chinese coast guard accused the Philippine boat of “deliberately colliding” with the Chinese ship after “ignoring our several stern warnings.”
The Philippine boat “suddenly changed direction in an unprofessional, dangerous manner, deliberately collided with our coast guard vessel 21556, which was on a normal law enforcement route, and caused a scratch,” the Chinese coast guard said in a statement.
“The responsibility lies entirely with the Philippine side,” the report said.
Deteriorating relations
Hours before the latest incident, a civilian convoy carrying 100 Filipino fishermen began a journey that would pass through Second Thomas Shoal as part of a mission to deliver Christmas cheer and supplies to remote outposts.
Organizers said they were “still going ahead with the agreed route” despite Sunday's confrontation.
Second Thomas Shoal is located about 200 km from the western Philippine island of Palawan and more than 1,000 km from China's nearest major landmass, Hainan Island.
A handful of Philippine troops are stationed on the crumbling BRP Sierra Madre, which the Philippine Navy grounded on the reef in 1999 to counter China's advance in the waters.
The troops depend on the supply missions for their survival.
One of the supply boats was able to deliver its cargo on Sunday, while the ship involved in the collision was towed to Palawan by a Philippine Coast Guard vessel, the task force said.
The Philippines and China have a long history of maritime incidents in the disputed South China Sea, through which trillions of dollars in trade pass annually.
Relations between Manila and Beijing have deteriorated under President Ferdinand Marcos, who has sought to improve ties with traditional ally Washington and push back on Chinese actions in the South China Sea.
Marcos warned last month that the situation in the waters had become “more dire.”
On Sunday, the Philippines reported that more than 135 Chinese vessels “swarmed” a reef off its coast, describing the boats' growing presence as “alarming.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)