A collision took place on Sunday, October 22, between a Chinese coast guard ship and a Philippine supply boat, near a small garrison in the disputed South China Sea.
The Philippines denounces “dangerous, irresponsible and illegal actions”. “The dangerous blocking maneuvers of the Chinese Coast Guard vessel 5203 caused it to collide with the supply boat (…) contracted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines” in the Spratlys, about 25 kilometers from the atoll Second Thomas Shoal, where the Philippine Navy is stationed, a government task force said.
China presented the action of its coast guard as “professional” and “legitimate” and accused the Philippines of having “deliberately” caused the collision. The Philippine boat “ignored multiple warnings” from the Chinese coast guard and “deliberately caused trouble” before the collision, the Chinese foreign ministry criticized in a statement, cited by state television CCTV.
Sovereignty in the Spratly archipelago at stake
The two nations, like Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia, dispute sovereignty over several islets and reefs in the Spratly archipelago. Beijing claims all of it and all local residents control part of it.
Last month, the Philippines accused the Chinese coast guard of firing water cannons against Philippine ships carrying equipment for its military personnel deployed to the Manila-controlled Second Thomas Atoll.
In 1999, the Philippines deliberately ran a military boat, the BRP Sierra Madre, aground on the atoll, with the aim of making it an outpost and asserting its sovereignty claims against China. The ship has since been a source of tension between Beijing and Manila. The Philippine Marines on board depend on resupply missions to survive.