Latest news with #ChineseCoastguard
South China Morning Post
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
South China Sea: Filipino activists stage ‘sea concert' to resist Beijing claims
Combining protest with performance, Filipino activists staged a 'sea concert' near the disputed Thitu Island in the South China Sea this week – a symbolic act of resistance that analysts say may not advance legal claims but could help galvanise regional solidarity and draw global attention. Advertisement The event, organised by the Atin Ito (This Is Ours) coalition, took place aboard the civilian vessel M/V Kapitan Felix Oca, which set sail from Palawan in the early hours of Tuesday carrying volunteers and artists from across Southeast Asia Hours into the journey, the ship and its two Philippine coastguard escorts were shadowed by Chinese coastguard vessels, which issued a radio challenge asserting Beijing's sovereignty over the area. A voice from one of the Chinese ships cited 'China's domestic law and international law' – including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) – and claimed a 2016 arbitral ruling was 'illegal' and China 'neither accepts nor recognises' it. The Philippine coastguard stated the vessels were operating lawfully within its exclusive economic zone, referencing the country's Maritime Zones Act , UNCLOS, and a 2016 Hague tribunal decision that invalidated China's sweeping claims in the South China Sea. A female crew member was heard telling the Chinese vessels they had 'no legal authority to patrol' the area and should 'depart immediately.' While no incident ensued, the ship's captain, Jorge dela Cruz said the shadowing was 'alarming,' considering the vessel was just 40 nautical miles from the Philippine mainland. Advertisement
The Independent
23-05-2025
- The Independent
Watch: Chinese coastguard slammed after blasting Philippines research ship with water cannon
The Chinese coastguard has been slammed for its "aggressive interference' after it blasted a Philippines research ship with water canons. Video footage shows the Chinese vessel sidesweeping a much smaller Philippines ship in the South China Sea, in what Manilla's fisheries bureau said put the crews' 'lives at risk'. Panicked crew onboard the Philippine ship can be heard shouting as the Chinese vessel draws closer and closer. Filipino officials said the incident 'occurred within the territorial sea of the Philippines' as the ships were collecting sand samples from Sandy Cay. Meanwhile, the Chinese coastguard said two Philippine vessels had illegally entered waters and ignored warnings from Beijing about coming too close to the Chinese ships, which it said it was conducting regular law enforcement operations.
Telegraph
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Watch: Chinese coastguard fires water cannon on Philippine research ship
China's coastguard fired water cannon on a Philippine marine research vessel in the contested South China Sea, putting the crew's 'lives at risk' and reigniting a diplomatic row between the two nations. The Philippines' fisheries bureau condemned what it said was an ' aggressive interference ' by the coastguard against the Datu Sanday and another vessel on Wednesday. Video of the incident appears to show the Chinese coastguard sideswiping a much smaller Philippine ship. The two Philippine vessels were conducting 'routine marine scientific research' in the barren white sandbars that lie between the Philippine-occupied Thitu Island and a Chinese-built island base called Subi Reef, according to Manila. Officials said a Filipino scientific team was in Sandy Cay to collect sand samples from the sandbars. A larger Chinese coastguard ship 'water cannoned and sideswiped' one of the vessels twice, 'resulting in some damage to the latter's port bow and smokestack, and putting at risk lives of its civilian personnel on board', the Filipino officials claimed. They said the incident 'occurred within the territorial sea of the Philippines'. China's coastguard blamed the Philippines for the collision, saying the vessels entered the waters illegally without China's permission and landed personnel on Sandy Cay using the Chinese name Tiexian Reef for the sandbars. It said the vessels ignored warnings from the Chinese side and came dangerously close to the Chinese ship, which it claimed was conducting normal law enforcement operations. The coastguard landed on the reef to check on the activity, a statement said. It did not mention the use of water cannon. The statement added: 'The Philippines' actions seriously violated China's territorial sovereignty ... and undermined peace and stability in the South China Sea.' China has claimed that it has sovereignty rights over virtually the entire South China Sea and has vowed to defend its territories at all costs. A 2016 ruling by an international arbitral tribunal found Beijing's sweeping claims had no basis under international law – a decision China rejects.
