Latest news with #PhilippinesCoastGuard
TimesLIVE
12-08-2025
- TimesLIVE
Philippines flags 'dangerous' Chinese actions after ships collide
The Philippines expressed serious concern on Tuesday what it described as 'dangerous manoeuvres and unlawful interference' by Chinese vessels during a coast guard supply mission for Filipino fishermen in the Scarborough Shoal on Monday. 'Their actions not only posed a grave danger to Philippines personnel and vessels but also resulted in the collision between the two Chinese vessels,' the Philippines foreign ministry said. A Chinese navy ship collided with a smaller coast guard vessel while the latter was chasing one of the Philippines Coast Guard (PCG) ships involved in the mission, according to the PCG, which captured the incident on video. China's defence ministry and its embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the ministry's statement. On Monday, China's coast guard said it took necessary measures to expel Philippines vessels from waters around the Scarborough Shoal.
NBC News
12-08-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Chinese ships crash in chase with Filipino patrol boat in the South China Sea
A Chinese warship crashed into one of its own country's coast guard vessels as it chased a patrol boat belonging to the Philippines, officials in Manila said Monday, after the latest territorial dispute in the South China Sea. The dramatic collision near the Scarborough Shoal, a contested island, came as the Filipino vessel was delivering fuel and supplies to more than 30 fishing boats, the country's coast guard said in a statement Monday. Several videos posted on X by Jay Tarriela, a spokesperson for the Philippines Coast Guard, showed the Chinese ships on both sides of their coast guard vessel, traveling at quite a pace. In one of the videos, the warship bearing the number 164, came very close to the Filipino ship's port side. Another video showed the Chinese coast guard ship bearing the number 3104, appears to be bearing down on the back of the Filipino boat, when the warship appears from the left of shot in front. Although the Chinese coast guard attempts to turn, it appears to smash into port side of its own country's warship as the Filipino boat sails away. It is unclear from the footage how much damage was done or if anyone was injured on the Chinese ships. The Chinese Coast Guard acknowledged the confrontation with the Philippines in a statement Monday, but did not reference any collusion. Instead, it accused the Philippines of 'intruding into waters' under the 'pretext' of supplies, near the island which it called China's 'inherent territory.' It said it had acted in a 'professional, regulated and lawful' manner. The Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs said in its statement that it was 'seriously concerned' by China's 'dangerous maneuvers.' The collision demonstrated the 'importance of adhering to international maritime rules,' it said, adding that the crew of the patrols ship had 'without hesitation offered medical aid and other relevant support to the Chinese side.' It is unclear whether this offer was accepted. Beijing claims sovereignty in over 80% of the South China Sea, energy-rich waters with estimated 190 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 11 billion barrels of oil below them. In the last decade, China has been been actively building artificial islands in the region and added military bases, ports, and airstrips, drawing criticism from the Philippines and Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan, who also lay claim to parts of the South China Sea. In 2016, an international court ruled overwhelmingly in favor of the Philippines, declaring that many of China's claims and actions in the South China Sea violated international law and rights of the Philippines. But there have been several maritime clashes since then, including an incident in December when Chinese ships fired water canons and rammed a Philippine patrol boat near Scarborough Shoal.
Qatar Tribune
11-08-2025
- Qatar Tribune
China rams its own warship while chasing Philippine vessel
A Chinese warship ploughed into its own coast guard vessel on Monday while the latter was chasing a Philippine vessel in the South China Sea, Manila said. Philippine coast guard officials were distributing aid to fishermen in the disputed Scarborough Shoal, Commodore Jay Tarriela said, when the Chinese coast guard 'performed a risky manoeuvre' which inflicted 'substantial damage' on the Chinese warship's forward deck. China confirmed that a confrontation took place and accused the Philippines of 'forcibly intruding' into Chinese waters, but did not mention the collision. The South China Sea is at the centre of a territorial dispute between China, the Philippines and other countries. Tensions between Beijing and Manila have sharply escalated in recent years, with each side accusing the other of provocations and altercations at sea, including some involving weapons such as swords, spears and knives. The Scarborough Shoal, a triangular chain of reefs and rocks, has been a flashpoint between the two countries since China seized it in 2012. Video released by Manila showed a Chinese coast guard vessel firing water cannons as it chased the Philippine coast guard ship, before slamming loudly into a much larger Chinese ship after making a sudden turn. The collision rendered the Chinese warship 'unseaworthy', Tarriela said. It is unclear if anyone was injured in the incident. The Philippines Coast Guard has 'consistently urged' the Chinese authorities to respect international conventions in handling territorial disputes, 'especially considering their role in enforcing maritime laws', Tarriela said. 'We have also emphasised that such reckless behaviour at sea could ultimately lead to accidents,' he added. China's coast guard, however, said it was acting 'in accordance with the law' and took 'all necessary measures' to drive the Philippine vessels away. This is the latest in a string of dangerous encounters over the last two years as Beijing and Manila seek to enforce their claims on disputed reefs and outcrops in the South China Sea. (Agencies)
UPI
11-08-2025
- Politics
- UPI
2 Chinese ships crash in the South China Sea, chasing Philippine boat
1 of 2 | An activist holds a placard during a protest at the Chinese Consulate in Manila, Philippines, in 2021. On Monday, a Chinese coast guard vessel that was chasing a Philippine vessel when it crashed into another Chinese ship. File Photo by Mark R. Christino/EPA Aug. 11 (UPI) -- Two Chinese ships collided in the South China Sea Monday while one ship was chasing a Philippines Coast Guard vessel. A large warship and a smaller China coast guard vessel collided. The smaller ship had been chasing the Philippines vessel and shooting water cannons at it, when it made a sharp turn and crashed into the largership. Philippine coast guard officials were distributing aid to fishermen in the disputed Scarborough Shoal, Commodore Jay Tarriela said. China confirmed that a confrontation took place and accused the Philippines of "forcibly intruding" into Chinese waters. It didn't mention the crash, which caused serious damage to the larger ship. Scarborough Shoal is a triangular-shaped feature, made up of of a handful of rocks and reefs that falls within the Philippines' 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone. But China has claimed that it is part of the Zhongsha Islands, taking control of it in 2012. It's known as Huangyan Island to China and Bajo de Masinloc to the Philippines. The crash made the Chinese warship "unseaworthy," Tarriela said. It's not known if anyone was injured. Tarriela said that the Philippines Coast Guard has "consistently urged" Chinese authorities to respect international conventions when handling territorial disputes, "especially considering their role in enforcing maritime laws." "We have also emphasised that such reckless behavior at sea could ultimately lead to accidents," he added. China's coast guard said it was acting "in accordance with the law" and took "all necessary measures" to drive the Philippine boats away. Chinese coast guard spokesperson Gan Yu said in a statement that they forced Philippine and government vessels away from the area after they "ignored repeated warnings from the Chinese side and insistently intruded into the waterway." "Huangyan Island is an inherent part of China's territory," Gan said. He added that the coast guard would enforce the law "to safeguard national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests." The Philippine coast guard's statement said that it "immediately offered support, including help with man-overboard recovery and medical aid for any injured crew members." In recent years, skirmishes between China and the Philippines have escalated in the South China Sea. In February 2023, the Philippine Coast Guard accused a Chinese ship of deploying laser lights at the crew of the BRP Malapascua, as well as coming within 150 yards of the Manila vessel, in an effort it called a "blatant disregard for and a clear violation of Philippine sovereign rights in this part of the West Philippine Sea." In December 2024, the Philippines said China's coast guard fired water canons and sideswiped a government vessel during a maritime patrol near Scarborough Shoal. In June 2024, Filipino soldiers used their "bare hands" to fight Chinese coast guard personnel armed with swords, spears and knives in the area. One Filipino soldier lost his thumb, Manila said. The South China Sea is an important fishing area to Chinese, Filipino and Vietnamese fishing boats.
Saudi Gazette
11-08-2025
- Saudi Gazette
China rams own warship while chasing Philippine vessel
SINGAPORE — A Chinese warship plowed into its own coast guard vessel on Monday while the latter was chasing a Philippine vessel in the South China Sea, Manila said. Philippine coast guard officials were distributing aid to fishermen in the disputed Scarborough Shoal, Commodore Jay Tarriela said, when the Chinese coast guard "performed a risky manoeuvre" which inflicted "substantial damage" on the Chinese warship's forward deck. China confirmed that a confrontation took place and accused the Philippines of "forcibly intruding" into Chinese waters, but did not mention the collision. The South China Sea is at the centre of a territorial dispute between China, the Philippines and other countries. Tensions between Beijing and Manila have sharply escalated in recent years, with each side accusing the other of provocations and altercations at sea, including some involving weapons such as swords, spears and knives. The Scarborough Shoal, a triangular chain of reefs and rocks, has been a flashpoint between the two countries since China seized it in 2012. Video released by Manila showed a Chinese coast guard vessel firing water cannons as it chased the Philippine coast guard ship, before slamming loudly into a much larger Chinese ship after making a sudden turn. The collision rendered the Chinese warship "unseaworthy", Tarriela said. It is unclear if anyone was injured in the incident. The Philippines Coast Guard has "consistently urged" the Chinese authorities to respect international conventions in handling territorial disputes, "especially considering their role in enforcing maritime laws", Tarriela said. "We have also emphasised that such reckless behaviour at sea could ultimately lead to accidents," he added. China's coast guard, however, said it was acting "in accordance with the law" and took "all necessary measures" to drive the Philippine vessels away. This is the latest in a string of dangerous encounters over the last two years as Beijing and Manila seek to enforce their claims on disputed reefs and outcrops in the South China Sea. In December last year, the Philippines said China's coast guard fired water cannons and "sideswiped" a government vessel during a maritime patrol near the Scarborough Shoal. Beijing initially said Philippine ships "came dangerously close" and that its crew's actions had been "in accordance with the law". It later accused Manila of making "bogus accusations in an attempt to mislead international understanding". In June 2024, Filipino soldiers used their "bare hands" to fight off Chinese coast guard personnel armed with swords, spears and knives in the area. The skirmish led to one Filipino soldier losing his thumb, Manila said. — BBC
