Beijing and Manila on Friday issued conflicting claims over a fresh vessel “collision” in the disputed South China Sea, blaming each other, according to statements from both sides.
The China Coast Guard (CCG) said a Philippine vessel “ignored repeated warnings and suddenly cut across a CCG boat’s bow near Xianbin Jiao, causing a collision,” Beijing-based daily Global Times reported.
Sabina Shoal (known as Xianbin Jiao in China and Escoda Shoal in the Philippines), is a disputed low-tide elevation in the Spratly Islands.
China accused the Philippines of being “fully responsible for the actions, which seriously violated international law and threatened the safety of CCG vessels”.
However, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson Jay Tarriela said it was the Chinese vessel CCG-21585 that “rammed BRP Datu Magat Salamat (MMOV 3015) … as it carried out its maritime patrol to deliver fuel subsidies to our fishermen”.
“Even after the collision, CCG-21585 conducted yet another dangerous manoeuvre, passing dead astern at a distance of only about 5 metres (16 feet),” he claimed in a statement posted on X.
Tarriela said the incident happened off the coast of the Philippine province of Palawan, “well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone”.
“Let us be clear about what this vessel was doing: it was bringing fuel to Filipino fishermen so they can keep fishing in our own waters and keep food on Filipino tables. The China Coast Guard deliberately rammed a civilian government vessel on a humanitarian and livelihood mission, endangering the lives of its Filipino crew,” he said.
However, the CCG urged the Philippine side to “stop all acts of infringement and provocation”, warning that Manila “would bear the consequences”.
The latest incident comes amid persistent tensions between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea, where the two countries have repeatedly confronted each other over competing territorial claims.
