Latest news with #SandyCay
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.
Free Malaysia Today
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Philippines accuses Beijing of aggressive tactics in South China Sea
Beijing's coast guard conducts operations to exercise its sovereignty in the South China Sea. (AP pic) MANILA : The Philippines' fisheries bureau said the lives of a civilian crew were put at risk when the Chinese coast guard fired water cannons and sideswiped one of its vessels while it conducted marine research around a disputed South China Sea reef. The bureau of fisheries and aquatic resources condemned what it said was the 'aggressive interference' of the Chinese coast guard against the Datu Sanday and a second ship in Wednesday's incident, saying its vessels had not previously been subjected to water cannons in the area. The Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on today's statement by the bureau. Sandy Cay is close to Thitu Island, the largest and most strategically important of the nine features the Philippines occupies in the Spratly archipelago, where China, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam also have a presence. Last month, China said its coast guard had landed on Sandy Cay as part of operations to exercise its sovereignty. The Philippines has denied Beijing has seized control of the disputed reef. China claims sovereignty over nearly all the South China Sea, including areas claimed by Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. A 2016 ruling of an international arbitral tribunal found Beijing's sweeping claims had no basis under international law, a decision China rejects.
The Independent
22-05-2025
- The Independent
Philippines condemns Chinese coast guard's use of water cannon on a research vessel
Philippine officials on Thursday condemned the Chinese coast guard for using what they say was a powerful water cannon to target one of two Philippine fishing boats conducting marine research in the disputed South China Sea. The Bureau of Fisheries in Manila said the incident took place on Wednesday near one of three sandbars called Sandy Cay and caused damage to one of the fishing vessels and endangered its crew members. The Chinese coast guard's 'aggressive interference' happened as 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 the Department of Agriculture and the Bureau of Fisheries in Manila. Officials said a Filipino scientific team were in Sandy Cay to collect sand samples from the sandbars. A larger Chinese coast guard 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 onboard,' the Philippine officials said. They said the incident "occurred within the territorial sea of the Philippines' off Thitu island, which Filipinos call Pagasa, Tagalog for hope. China's coast guard blamed the Philippines for the collision, saying the vessels entered the waters illegally without China's permission and landed personnel on Sandy Cay, it said, 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 said was conducting normal law enforcement operations. The Chinese coast guard landed on the reef to check on the activity, a statement said. It did not mention the use of a water cannon. 'The Philippines' actions seriously violated China's territorial sovereignty ... and undermined peace and stability in the South China Sea,' the Chinese statement said. China has claimed that it has sovereignty rights over virtually the entire South China Sea and has vowed to defend its territories at all cost. The territorial conflicts are also a delicate fault line in the regional rivalry between China and the United States, which lays no claims to the busy sea passage but has backed smaller states like the Philippines as they confront Beijing's growing aggression in the offshore region. U.S. Ambassador to Manila MaryKay Carlson said the Chinese coast guard's 'aggressive actions against a lawful civilian mission near Sandy Cay recklessly endangered lives and threaten regional stability.' 'We stand with our Philippine allies in support of international law and a free and open Indo-Pacific,' Carlson said in a post on X. China and the Philippines have had confrontations over Sandy Cay, which is called Pag-asa Cays by Filipinos. In January, the Chinese coast guard and a naval helicopter drove away a group of Philippines fisheries ships that were attempting to conduct a scientific survey around Sandy Cay. Last month, a Chinese state-owned newspaper posted exclusive photos of coast guard officers on Sandy Cay, including one of them holding up a Chinese flag. Three days later, a joint Philippines coast guard, navy and maritime police team headed to the three sandbars and posed for a photo holding up their national flag. Both the former Biden and current Trump administrations have warned that the U.S. is obligated to defend the Philippines under a Mutual Defense Treaty if Filipino forces, ships and aircraft come under an armed attack, including in the South China Sea. China has warned the U.S. not to meddle in what it calls a purely Asian conflict. The long-unresolved territorial disputes are expected to be high on the agenda when leaders and top diplomats of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a 10-country regional bloc, hold an annual summit starting this weekend in Malaysia. ASEAN member states Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam are involved in the territorial disputes, along with China and Taiwan. China and the ASEAN have been negotiating a nonaggression 'code of conduct' to prevent the conflicts from degenerating into a larger armed conflict and both sides hope they could conclude the talks next year. ___
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.
Al Jazeera
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Philippines accuses China of ‘aggressive' tactics in South China Sea
The Philippines fisheries bureau has accused China's coastguard of firing water cannon and sideswiping a Filipino government vessel during a research voyage in the disputed South China Sea. The Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources condemned on Thursday what it said was the 'aggressive interference' of the Chinese coastguard against the Datu Sanday and a second ship during the incident on Wednesday. The encounter occurred near a group of small sandbanks in the Spratly Islands where two Filipino ships were collecting sand samples 'as part of a marine scientific research initiative', the Philippine statement said. 'At approximately 0913H, CCG vessel 21559 water cannoned and sideswiped the BRP Datu Sanday (MMOV 3002) twice … putting at risk lives of its civilian personnel.' The 'aggressive interference, dangerous maneuvers, and illegal acts' damaged the Philippine ship's port bow and smokestack, according to the bureau's statement. It was the first time water cannon were used against Philippine vessels near the disputed Sandy Cay reef, the bureau added. The Philippines scientific team was still able 'to complete its operations in Pag-Asa Cays 1, 2 and 3', the statement added, using the Philippine term for the Sandy Cays. The Chinese coastguard said in a statement that the Philippine vessel 'dangerously' approached its ship, resulting in the collision. It added that the Filipino vessel 'illegally intruded' into the waters of Sany Cay. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning said she was not aware of the incident. 'What I can tell you is that the Chinese coastguard always enforces the law in accordance with laws and regulations,' she said. Beijing claims it has sovereignyy rights over almost the entire South China Sea, despite an international ruling that the assertion has no legal basis. The Philippines and China have engaged in several confrontations in the South China Sea. Last month, the Philippines denounced as 'irresponsible' a Chinese state media report claiming that Sandy Cay 2 was put under China's control. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said the country's coastguard had 'implemented maritime control' over Tiexian Reef in mid-April. China claims sovereignty over nearly all of the South China Sea, including areas claimed by Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. A 2016 ruling of an international arbitral tribunal found Beijing's sweeping claims had no basis under international law, a decision China rejects.
