Philippines accuses Chinese coast guard ships of colliding with its vessels

Oct. 22 (UPI) -- The Armed Forces of the Philippines accused Chinese Coast Guard vessels of colliding with one of its ships and a supply boat Sunday morning, as Beijing's military continues to be accused of conducting dangerous and risky behavior on land, air and sea.

The armed forces said in a statement the collisions occurred in the South China Sea when the Chinese vessels engaged in "dangerous blocking maneuvers." The Philippine ships were en route to the Second Thomas Shoal where the Manila has an outpost as part of a resupply mission.

"The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea condemns in the strongest degree the latest dangerous, irresponsible and illegal actions of the CCG and the Chinese maritime militia done this morning," the Armed Forces of the Philippines said in a statement.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines shared videos of the incidents on social media Sunday.

The Philippines said the first incident happed just after 6 a.m. local time and the second occurred about two hours later.

It accused the Chinese maritime militia vessel of having struck its ship while being "actively engaged in coordinated maneuvers to harass, impede and obstruct the Philippine vessels."

"We will not be deterred and we will continue to resupply our troops in BRP Sierra Madre despite provocations," National Security Adviser Secretary Eduardo Ano said in a statement.

CCTV, China's state-owned news agency, reported that the Philippine ship ignored multiple warnings, alleging that the Manila vessel was trespassing and "deliberately provoked trouble."

"The Philippines' actions seriously violated the international rules for avoiding collisions at sea and threatened the navigation safety of our ships," the CCTV writes. "Our operations were professional, standardized, legitimate and legal, and the responsibility lies entirely with the Philippines."

Nobody was injured in either incident and the extent of the damage is being investigated.

The Second Thomas Shoal, which the Philippines calls the Ayungin Shoal, is a submerged reef located in the Spratly Islands.

China lays claims to it and much of the South China Sea via its controversial Nine-Dash-Line maps, which have been rejected by several nations, including the United States. The Hague's Permanent Court of Arbitration also disregarded the maps in a 2016 decision in a case that was brought against Beijing by Manila.

The incident is also not the first confrontation between the two neighbors in the South China Sea.

Early this month, Philippines Coast Guard spokesman Jay Tarriela detailed six separate incidents involving a number of Chinese ships coming as close as 3 feet to Philippine vessels performing a regular supply mission.

Late last month, the Philippines removed a 1,000-foot floating barrier it accused China of having installed in a disputed area of the South China Sea.

It also occurred as several other countries have accused China's military of behaving unprofessionally.

Last week, US. Pentagon officials said they have seen a "sharp increase" in Chinese warplanes conducting "coercive and risky operation behavior" in the skies over the East and South China Seas, stating that since 2021, there have been more than 180 such harassments of U.S. planes and nearly 300 when counting all alley aircraft.

And a Canadian military aircraft enforcing United Nations sanctions imposed on North Korea was intercepted by Chinese warplanes last week in a manner that Ottawa said was reckless.

Several countries on Sunday voiced concern over the collision, including the Philippines missions of Germany and Canada.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson said the United States stands with the Philippines.

"By conducting dangerous maneuvers that caused collisions with Philippine resupply and Coast Guard ships, the PRC Coast Guard and maritime militia violated international law by intentionally interfering with the Philippine vessels' exercise of high seas freedom of navigation," the spokesperson said in a statement, referring to China by the initials of its official name, the People's Republic of China.

"The unsafe maneuvers on Oct. 22 and the PRC water cannoning of a Philippines' vessel on Aug. 5 are the latest examples of provocative PRC measures in the South China Sea to enforce its expansive and unlawful maritime claims, reflecting disregard for other states lawfully operating in the region."