SHIPMENTS from China and the Philippines collided during a confrontation in the disputed South China Sea, with Beijing and Manila blaming each other for the incident.
The collision occurred at 3:24 a.m. local time on Monday (August 19) at Sabina Shoal, which is located about 140 km west of the Philippine island of Palawan, the nearest mainland.
Chinese Coast Guard spokesman Gan Yu accused the Philippines of illegally entering waters around the disputed atoll and deliberately colliding with Chinese vessels.
“The Chinese Coast Guard took control measures against Philippine vessels in accordance with the law,” Gan said, as reported by Al Jazeera, Monday (19/8).
The Spratly Islands, which are also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam, lie more than 1,300 km from China’s Hainan Island.
Manila’s National Task Force in the West Philippine Sea denied China’s claim, saying that China was at fault and that Beijing’s vessels conducted unlawful and aggressive maneuvers near the shoal that caused damage to two of its coast guard vessels.
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“The confrontation resulted in a collision that caused structural damage to both Philippine Coast Guard vessels. [PCG]”, he said.
He shared photos showing damage to both vessels. Manila said the coast guard vessels Cape Engano and Bagacay were on their way to resupply personnel stationed on Flat Island when the collision occurred.
In addition to the damage at Cape Engano, it was also reported that Bagacay was rammed twice to port and starboard by Chinese coast guard vessels, resulting in minor structural damage.
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“The PCG is steadfast in its responsibility to ensure the safety and security of our maritime territory while addressing all threats to our national interests,” the statement said.
Tensions have been rising between Manila and Beijing, which claims almost the entire South China Sea under its so-called nine-dash line despite a 2016 international court ruling that the claims were baseless.
The Sabina Shoal collision comes less than two weeks after an aerial incident between the Chinese and Philippine militaries over Scarborough Shoal, which Beijing seized from Manila in 2012.
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In July, the two countries said they had reached a tentative agreement over Second Thomas Shoal after repeated disputes there over resupply missions to a group of Filipino sailors living on a navy ship that ran aground there in 1999.
The Philippine Coast Guard deployed one of its main patrol vessels, the BRP Teresa Magbanua, to Sabina in April after Philippine scientists discovered piles of crushed coral in its shallow waters, raising suspicions that China may be planning to build structures on the atoll.
The China Coast Guard then deployed a ship to Sabina. Sabina is near Second Thomas Shoal. (I-2)
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