A Philippine vessel and a Chinese vessel collided near the Spratly Islands in the disputed South China Sea on Monday, the Beijing Coast Guard said.
Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, ignoring competing claims from several Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines, and an international ruling that its position has no legal basis.
China deploys coast guard and other boats to patrol the waters and has turned several reefs into militarized artificial islands. Chinese and Philippine ships had a series of clashes in disputed areas.
On Saturday, new Chinese coast guard rules came into force under which it can detain foreigners for alleged trespassing in the disputed sea.
Beijing’s coast guard said in a statement on Monday that a “Philippine refueling vessel ignored many solemn warnings from the Chinese side.”
“He approached the Chinese ship in an unprofessional manner, resulting in a collision,” the statement said.
Beijing accused the ship of having “illegally trespassed into the sea near Ren’ai Reef in China’s Nansha Islands”, using the Chinese name for the Spratly Islands.
“The Chinese Coast Guard took control measures against the Philippine vessel in accordance with the law,” he added.
Manila accused the Chinese coast guard of “barbaric and inhumane behavior” against Philippine ships, and President Ferdinand Marcos called the new rules a “very worrying” escalation.
China defended its new coast guard rules. A Foreign Office spokesman said last month the aim was to “better maintain order at sea”.
Chinese Coast Guard ships have used water cannons against Philippine boats several times in the contested waters.
There were also collisions that injured Philippine troops.
The Group of Seven bloc on Friday criticized what it called China’s “dangerous” incursions into the South China Sea.
The South China Sea is a vital waterway, where Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei also have overlapping claims in some parts.
More recently, however, clashes between China and the Philippines have raised fears of a broader conflict over the sea that could involve the United States and other allies.
Trillions of dollars in maritime trade pass through the South China Sea annually, and huge untapped deposits of oil and gas are believed to lie beneath the seafloor, although estimates vary widely.
ll-oho/mtp
