Chinese warship crashes into own coastguard vessel while chasing Philippine boat in South China Sea
The incident occurred near the contested Scarborough Shoal on Monday as the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) escorted vessels distributing aid to fishers in the area, Philippine authorities said.
'Their [the Chinese vessels'] actions not only posed a grave danger to Philippine personnel and vessels, but also resulted in the unfortunate collision between the two Chinese vessels,' the Philippine foreign ministry said on Tuesday, accusing the Chinese crew of 'dangerous manoeuvres and unlawful interference' in the resupply mission.
Video released by Manila showed a Chinese coastguard ship and a much larger vessel bearing the number 164 on its hull colliding with a loud crash in the wake of the Philippine vessel.
Additional footage and photos released later by the PCG showed the stricken Chinese vessel still afloat but with its entire bow crumpled inward.
The PCG spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela said in a statement: 'The [Chinese coastguard vessel] CCG 3104, which was chasing the [PCG 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.
'This resulted in substantial damage to the CCG vessel's forecastle, rendering it unseaworthy.'
Earlier in the confrontation, the BRP Suluan was 'targeted with a water cannon' by the Chinese but 'successfully' evaded it, Tarriela's statement said.
At a later press briefing, Tarriela said crew members onboard the smaller Chinese vessel had been visible in its front section shortly before the collision. 'We're not sure whether they were able to rescue those personnel who were in front prior to the collision. But we are hoping that these personnel are in good condition,' he told reporters.
Tarriela said the Chinese crew did not respond to the Philippine ship's offer of assistance.
Gan Yu, a Chinese coastguard spokesperson, confirmed that a confrontation had taken place, without mentioning the collision. 'The China coastguard took necessary measures in accordance with the law, including monitoring, pressing from the outside, blocking and controlling the Philippine vessels to drive them away,' he said in a statement.
China has neither confirmed or denied the incident, only saying that it 'lawfully' took measures to drive away Philippine vessels that had 'forcibly intruded' into its waters.
'The China coastguard will continue to carry out rights-protection law enforcement activities in the waters of Huangyan Dao in accordance with the law, and will resolutely safeguard China's national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests,' said the coastguard spokesperson Gan Yu, using China's name for the shoal.
Monday's incident 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.
More than 60% of global maritime trade passes through the disputed waterway.
Speaking at a news conference, the Philippine president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, said the country's patrol vessels would 'continue to be present' in the area to defend, as well as exercise Manila's sovereign rights over, what it considers to be part of its territory.
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.
Marcos has also warned that the Philippines risks confrontation with China over another issue – Taiwan, which China's rulers are preparing to annex as territory. With US backing of Taiwan, any attempt threatens to spiral into a broader conflict, and on a recent trip to India, Marcos said 'there is no way that the Philippines can stay out of it'.
The Philippines lies on the other side of a crucial sea passage past Taiwan – the Bashi channel – and there are more than 100,000 Philippine nationals living in Taiwan who would need to be evacuated in the event of a conflict.
On Monday, Beijing accused Marcos of 'playing with fire' with his comments, drawing a rebuke from the president that they had misinterpreted his comments 'for propaganda purposes'.
'War over Taiwan will drag the Philippines kicking and screaming into the conflict. That is what I was trying to say,' Marcos said.
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