Clash between Chinese and Philippine Coast Guard

Both the Philippines and China claim that it is the other side that deliberately caused the collision.

– The Philippines’ actions to assert its right in the South China Sea are not provocation, says Jonathan Malaya, spokesperson for the Philippine Security Council.

China’s coast guard claims a Philippine vessel ignored repeated warnings and collided with a Chinese vessel on purpose, in an “unprofessional and dangerous” manner.

According to China, two vessels have illegally entered an area of ​​sea at the atoll known as Sabina Shoal. It is part of the Spratly Islands, which consist of about 600 small islands, coral reefs and underwater reefs in the South China Sea.

According to the Chinese authorities, the vessel that collided with their coast guard vessel later sailed into an area near the underwater reef Second Thomas Shoal, where there have been a number of confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the past. Last month, the two countries negotiated an agreement that created hope for a de-escalation of the conflict.

There have been a long series of maritime incidents between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea, where the two countries have several overlapping territorial claims. Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam also have partly overlapping claims on various islands and areas in the South China Sea.

China has chosen to ignore a ruling from an arbitration court which determined in 2016 that the country’s claim lacks legal basis and that China’s construction of artificial reefs is illegal.