Manila and Beijing traded accusations on Saturday over a collision between two ships in the South China Seain the latest in an escalating series of incidents in the vital waterway.
The collision occurred near the Sabina Islands, and is the fifth maritime incident in one month between the two countries as part of their dispute in the South China Sea.
Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam.
Parts of the waterway, through which $3 trillion in trade passes annually, are believed to be rich in oil and natural gas deposits as well as fish stocks.
In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that China had no “historic rights” over most of the strategic South China Sea, a ruling Beijing rejected.
Incident details
A Chinese coast guard vessel “directly and intentionally rammed a Philippine ship” without any provocation, Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Jay Tarella said while showing video footage of the incident at a news conference.
The collision damaged the 97-meter-long Teresa Magbanua, one of the largest Philippine Coast Guard vessels, but no one was hurt, Tarella said.
He added that his country would not withdraw the ship “despite the harassment and escalatory actions of the Chinese Coast Guard.”
For its part, the Chinese Coast Guard said in a statement that a Philippine ship “illegally stranded” in a disputed shallow water area of the South China Sea raised its anchor and rammed a Chinese ship.
Chinese Coast Guard spokesman Liu Dejun called on the Philippines to immediately withdraw from the Sabina Islands area or face the consequences of what China will do to “resolutely thwart all violations.”
US Ambassador to the Philippines Mary Kay Carlson expressed Washington’s support for the Philippines, which has a mutual defense pact with her country.
“The United States condemns the PRC’s multiple serious violations of international law, including today’s deliberate ramming incident,” Carlson said on Twitter.
