Chinese ships crash in chase of Philippines boats in South China Sea
The incident occurred near the contested Scarborough Shoal as the Philippine coast guard escorted boats distributing aid to fishermen in the area, spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela said in a statement.
Video released by Manila showed a China Coast Guard ship and a much larger vessel bearing the number 164 on its hull colliding with a loud crash.
'The (China Coast Guard vessel) CCG 3104, which was chasing the (Filipino coast guard vessel) BRP Suluan at high speed, performed a risky manoeuvre from the (Philippine) vessel's starboard quarter, leading to the impact with the PLA (People's Liberation Army) Navy warship,' Tarriela said.
'This resulted in substantial damage to the CCG vessel's forecastle, rendering it unseaworthy,' he said.
The Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The reported collision is the latest in a series of confrontations between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost entirely despite an international ruling that the assertion has no legal basis.
PCG Implements Kadiwa Operation in Bajo de Masinloc and Offers Assistance to CCG Following Maritime Incident
In response to the presence of around 35 Filipino fishing vessels in Bajo de Masinloc, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) deployed the BRP Teresa Magbanua and BRP Suluan,… pic.twitter.com/5Hqkye1zli
— Jay Tarriela (@jaytaryela) August 11, 2025
More than 60% of global maritime trade passes through the disputed waterway.
The Scarborough Shoal - a triangular chain of reefs and rocks - has been a flashpoint between the countries since China seized it from the Philippines in 2012.
It was unclear if anyone was hurt in Monday's incident.
Tarriela told AFP the Chinese crew 'never responded' to the Filipino ship's offer of assistance.
Earlier in the confrontation, the BRP Suluan was 'targeted with a water cannon' by the Chinese but 'successfully' evaded it, Tarriela's statement said.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos warned on Monday that his country would be dragged 'kicking and screaming' into any war over Taiwan, but must prepare for it.China considers self-ruled Taiwan, Manila's closest neighbour to the north, to be part of its territory and has threatened to seize it by force.
'If there's a war over this it is near us. What are we supposed to do?' Marcos told a news conference, adding: 'We can't ignore it.'
'So inevitably, despite our fervent wish to avoid any confrontation with anybody, anywhere, a war over Taiwan will drag the Philippines, kicking and screaming into the conflict,' he said.
'I hope it doesn't happen... But if it does we have to plan for it already,' he said, citing the large numbers of Filipinos working in Taiwan.
In an interview with Indian news agency Firstpost during a state visit to New Delhi last week, Marcos said that in the event of a confrontation between China and the US over Taiwan, 'there is no way that the Philippines can stay out of it simply because of our physical geographic location.'
'If there is an all-out war, then we will be drawn into it,' Marcos said in the interview, which was uploaded on YouTube.
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Here is a longer video capturing the collision between the PLA Navy 164 and the China Coast Guard 3104. The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has consistently urged the Chinese government to respect the COLREGS and to approach these matters with professionalism, especially considering… — Jay Tarriela (@jaytaryela) August 11, 2025 'The (China Coast Guard vessel) CCG 3104, which was chasing the (Filipino coast guard vessel) BRP Suluan at high speed, performed a risky maneuver from the (Philippine) vessel's starboard quarter, leading to the impact with the PLA (People's Liberation Army) Navy warship,' Philippine Coast Guard Commodore Jay Tarriela said. 'This resulted in substantial damage to the CCG vessel's forecastle, rendering it unseaworthy,' Tarriela added. The Suluan, along with the BRP Teresa Magbanua and MV Pamamalakaya had been deployed to provide supplies to 35 Filipino fishing vessels in Bajo de Masinloc, Tarriela noted. 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In just one of many examples of these incidents, a Chinese Coast Guard ship fired a water cannon at a Philippine boat making a resupply run to the BRP Sierra Madre, a World War II-era tanker that the Philippines purposely ran aground to maintain a constant presence in the region. You can see that encounter from March 2024 in the following video. WATCH: Chinese Coast Guard vessel fires water cannon against Philippine boat Unaizah May 4 during its resupply mission to BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin Shoal on Saturday, March 23. : Armed Forces of the Philippines. @ — Joviland Rita (@jovilandxrita) March 23, 2024 After the two Chinese ships collided, Filipino officials said they are not backing down from Beijing's aggression in the region. Philippine patrol vessels would 'continue to be present' in the area to defend and exercise Manila's sovereign rights over what it considers to be part of its territory, that nation's President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said at a news conference on Monday. Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy has also experienced dangerous encounters with Chinese Navy vessels in this area. Control over these waters greatly affects the U.S. as well. Full, uncontested control of Scarborough Shoal could give the Chinese a 'strategic triangle,' with the other major points being Woody Island to the northwest in the Paracel Island chain and a cluster of outposts in the Spratly Islands to the south. Aircraft and ships operating from these islands, most of which are nearly entirely man-made, along with shore-based defenses, would offer overlapping coverage and present a major threat to any potential opponent trying to move through the region during a crisis. Contact the author: howard@
