Philippine Armed Forces
A still image from a video released by the Philippine Armed Forces.
Hong Kong
CNN
—
China's coast guard used water cannon on Saturday against a Philippine boat in disputed waters in the South China Sea, the latest in a series of maritime clashes between the two countries.
The skirmish comes days after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated the U.S. commitment to protecting the Philippines' access to the vast waterway, which China claims sovereignty over and which has seen heightened clashes with neighboring countries in recent years. It happened later.
According to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), video of the incident showed a Philippine civilian vessel sustaining “heavy damage” from the water cannon.
AFP communication too accused China's coast guard conducted a “dangerous maneuver” to cross the supply ship's bow before using water cannon.
China then installed floating barriers to “prevent further intrusion of any vessels,” the paper said.
The agency said a Philippine Coast Guard ship was “intercepted and surrounded” by a Chinese Coast Guard ship and two Chinese “maritime militia” vessels and cut off from a supply vessel.
Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Jay Tarriera said: “The Chinese marines' irresponsible and provocative actions in disregard of the Convention on International Regulations for the Prevention of Collisions at Sea led to the ship becoming isolated from the supply vessel.” Post to X.
Beijing and Manila have long disputed the Second Thomas Shoal, located about 200 kilometers (125 miles) off the coast of the Philippine island of Palawan. In the 1990s, the Philippines anchored a dilapidated World War II-era naval transport ship, the BRP Sierra Madre, in the shallows to strengthen its claim to the area. The ship is now mostly a rusting wreck, manned by rotating Philippine Marines.
More recently, clashes have occurred when the Philippines attempted to replenish troops in the Sierra Madre.
The Sierra Madre was successfully resupplied, but one of the vessels involved in the operation was unable to continue sailing, AFP news agency said.
The China Coast Guard announced in a post on Chinese social media Weibo that it had taken “lawful enforcement measures” against the Philippine vessel, saying it had “trespassed into the waters adjacent to Ren'ai Reef.” did.
Ren'ai Reef is the Chinese name for Second Thomas Reef, and in the Philippines this area is called Ayungin Reef.
The clash occurred just four days after Secretary of State Blinken said at a press conference in Manila that the United States remains “unwaveringly determined” to defend the Philippines in the South China Sea.
In a joint press conference with his Philippine counterpart, Blinken said the allies “have common concerns about China's actions that threaten our shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific, including the South China Sea.” and within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines. ”
Blinken said the Mutual Defense Treaty, signed in 1951 and under which the U.S. is obligated to protect Manila from attack, is “iron-clad” and “protects against armed attacks against Philippine troops, public vessels and aircraft, including those of the Coast Guard.” It extends to.” In the South China Sea. ”
In the collision two weeks ago, a Chinese Coast Guard vessel also sprayed water on the Philippine vessel, breaking glass panels and injuring four sailors.
