Latest news with #ScarboroughShoal
Bloomberg
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
China Ships Collide Amid Pursuit of Philippine Boat
Two Chinese vessels collided after one of them chased a Philippine ship near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. The Philippine Coast Guard also reported hazardous maneuvers and a near water-cannon hit. The latest encounter happened days after Beijing protested Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s remark that his country could be pulled into a possible conflict between the US and China over Taiwan. (Source: Bloomberg)
CNN
5 hours ago
- General
- CNN
Chinese warship takes bow off own coast guard vessel in collision while chasing Philippine boats
Asia ChinaFacebookTweetLink Follow A Chinese warship collided with one of its own coast guard vessels while chasing Philippine boats earlier this week in the highly contested South China Sea, in the latest such incident to underscore growing volatility in one of the world's most strategically vital waterways. Dramatic footage released by the Philippine Coast Guard showed the moment the collision took place, leaving one of the Chinese vessels missing a prominent part of its bow. Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard said the incident occurred on Monday while personnel were distributing aid to Filipino fishermen near the disputed Scarborough Shoal, approximately 140 miles west of the Philippine island of Luzon. Tarriela said a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel was chasing Philippine Coast Guard vessel BRP Suluan at 'high speed' when the incident occurred. 'Philippine vessels and fishermen encountered hazardous maneuvers and blocking actions from other vessels in the vicinity,' Tarriela said, adding one of the Philippine boats was targeted with a water cannon but avoided getting hit. He added that the Chinese ship then 'performed a risky maneuver' which inflicted 'substantial damage' to the China Coast Guard vessel's forecastle, rendering the ship 'unseaworthy.' Videos released by the Philippine Coast Guard on Monday showed People's Liberation Army Navy ship with hull number 164 , a Type 052D guided-missile destroyer, careening into the China Coast Guard vessel 3104, as both chased the much smaller BRP Suluan Philippine patrol vessel. At least three China Coast Guard personnel can be seen on the bow of CCG 3104 at the time of impact. The Philippine Coast Guard said it immediately offered support, including assistance with man-overboard recovery and medical aid for any injured CCG crew members, according to Tarriela. China has said a confrontation with Philippine vessels took place but has not, so far, confirmed a collision between its two vessels. China Coast Guard spokesperson Gan Yu said in a statement that the 'Philippines sent multiple coast guard and government vessels, under the pretext of delivering supplies to fishing boats, to forcibly intrude into waters' near Huangyan Dao, the name China uses for the Scarborough Shoal. Gan said the China Coast Guard 'took all necessary measures, including tracking, monitoring, blocking, and controlling, to drive the Philippine vessels away.' 'On-site operations were conducted in a professional, standard, and lawful manner,' Gan said, but he did not mention the high-stakes crash in open waters. The South China Sea remains a flashpoint for territorial disputes involving China, the Philippines and several other nations. It is a vital maritime trade corridor with an estimated third of global shipping, worth trillions of dollars, passing through each year, and home to fertile fishing grounds upon which many livelihoods depend on. Confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels in particular have spiked in recent years, fueling fears that a major accident could spiral into a conflict between the two. The Philippines is a US treaty ally while China, which has been rapidly growing its naval fleet, is the key US rival in the region. Both China and the Philippines claim Scarborough Shoal as well as small islands and atolls in the South China Sea. In 2012, China seized the shoal, which lies west of the main Philippine island of Luzon, and has since restricted access to Filipino fishermen there. A ruling by an international arbitration court four years later found that most Chinese claims in the South China Sea were invalid but Beijing has refused to abide by it. Monday's confrontation marks the latest in a series of tense and dangerous incidents in recent years, as both Beijing and Manila intensify efforts to assert sovereignty over the contested reefs and maritime features. In April, China and the Philippines each unfurled their national flags on Sandy Cay, a string of three uninhabited sandbars which lie near a Philippine military outpost in the disputed Spratly Islands. In June 2024, the Philippines accused China's Coast Guard of launching a 'brutal assault' with bladed weapons during a South China Sea clash near the Second Thomas Shoal, also near the contested Spratly Islands. Footage released by the Philippine military showed Chinese coast guard officers brandishing an axe and other bladed or pointed tools at the Filipino soldiers and slashing their rubber boat, in what Manila called 'a brazen act of aggression.' One Philippine Navy serviceman lost his right thumb when the Chinese Coast Guard vessel rammed into a smaller Philippine boat. The frequent aggressive encounters underscore the growing volatility in the vast 1.3-million-square-mile waterway, where Beijing has spent years turning islands and reefs into military bases and airstrips.
CNN
6 hours ago
- General
- CNN
Chinese warship takes bow off own coast guard vessel in collision while chasing Philippine boats
Asia ChinaFacebookTweetLink Follow A Chinese warship collided with one of its own coast guard vessels while chasing Philippine boats earlier this week in the highly contested South China Sea, in the latest such incident to underscore growing volatility in one of the world's most strategically vital waterways. Dramatic footage released by the Philippine Coast Guard showed the moment the collision took place, leaving one of the Chinese vessels missing a prominent part of its bow. Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard said the incident occurred on Monday while personnel were distributing aid to Filipino fishermen near the disputed Scarborough Shoal, approximately 140 miles west of the Philippine island of Luzon. Tarriela said a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel was chasing Philippine Coast Guard vessel BRP Suluan at 'high speed' when the incident occurred. 'Philippine vessels and fishermen encountered hazardous maneuvers and blocking actions from other vessels in the vicinity,' Tarriela said, adding one of the Philippine boats was targeted with a water cannon but avoided getting hit. He added that the Chinese ship then 'performed a risky maneuver' which inflicted 'substantial damage' to the China Coast Guard vessel's forecastle, rendering the ship 'unseaworthy.' Videos released by the Philippine Coast Guard on Monday showed People's Liberation Army Navy ship with hull number 164 , a Type 052D guided-missile destroyer, careening into the China Coast Guard vessel 3104, as both chased the much smaller BRP Suluan Philippine patrol vessel. At least three China Coast Guard personnel can be seen on the bow of CCG 3104 at the time of impact. The Philippine Coast Guard said it immediately offered support, including assistance with man-overboard recovery and medical aid for any injured CCG crew members, according to Tarriela. China has said a confrontation with Philippine vessels took place but has not, so far, confirmed a collision between its two vessels. China Coast Guard spokesperson Gan Yu said in a statement that the 'Philippines sent multiple coast guard and government vessels, under the pretext of delivering supplies to fishing boats, to forcibly intrude into waters' near Huangyan Dao, the name China uses for the Scarborough Shoal. Gan said the China Coast Guard 'took all necessary measures, including tracking, monitoring, blocking, and controlling, to drive the Philippine vessels away.' 'On-site operations were conducted in a professional, standard, and lawful manner,' Gan said, but he did not mention the high-stakes crash in open waters. The South China Sea remains a flashpoint for territorial disputes involving China, the Philippines and several other nations. It is a vital maritime trade corridor with an estimated third of global shipping, worth trillions of dollars, passing through each year, and home to fertile fishing grounds upon which many livelihoods depend on. Confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels in particular have spiked in recent years, fueling fears that a major accident could spiral into a conflict between the two. The Philippines is a US treaty ally while China, which has been rapidly growing its naval fleet, is the key US rival in the region. Both China and the Philippines claim Scarborough Shoal as well as small islands and atolls in the South China Sea. In 2012, China seized the shoal, which lies west of the main Philippine island of Luzon, and has since restricted access to Filipino fishermen there. A ruling by an international arbitration court four years later found that most Chinese claims in the South China Sea were invalid but Beijing has refused to abide by it. Monday's confrontation marks the latest in a series of tense and dangerous incidents in recent years, as both Beijing and Manila intensify efforts to assert sovereignty over the contested reefs and maritime features. In April, China and the Philippines each unfurled their national flags on Sandy Cay, a string of three uninhabited sandbars which lie near a Philippine military outpost in the disputed Spratly Islands. In June 2024, the Philippines accused China's Coast Guard of launching a 'brutal assault' with bladed weapons during a South China Sea clash near the Second Thomas Shoal, also near the contested Spratly Islands. Footage released by the Philippine military showed Chinese coast guard officers brandishing an axe and other bladed or pointed tools at the Filipino soldiers and slashing their rubber boat, in what Manila called 'a brazen act of aggression.' One Philippine Navy serviceman lost his right thumb when the Chinese Coast Guard vessel rammed into a smaller Philippine boat. The frequent aggressive encounters underscore the growing volatility in the vast 1.3-million-square-mile waterway, where Beijing has spent years turning islands and reefs into military bases and airstrips.
The Guardian
7 hours ago
- The Guardian
Chinese warship and coast guard vessels collide in South China Sea
Two Chinese vessels have collided with each other while chasing a ship from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in disputed waters in the South China Sea. 'A collision took place between China Coast Guard vessel 3104 and People's Liberation Army Navy ship 164,' the PCG said in a statement. The collision occurred near the disputed Scarborough Shoal.
Daily Telegraph
7 hours ago
- Daily Telegraph
Chinese vessels collide while pursuing Philippine boat in South China Sea
Don't miss out on the headlines from News. Followed categories will be added to My News. A Chinese navy vessel collided with one from its own coast guard while chasing a Philippine patrol boat in the South China Sea on Monday, Manila said, releasing dramatic video footage of the confrontation. The incident occurred near the contest 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, which can be watched in the player above, showed a China Coast Guard ship and a much larger vessel bearing the number 164 on its hull colliding with a loud crash. Additional footage and photos released later by the Philippine Coast Guard showed the stricken Chinese vessel still afloat but with its entire bow crumpled inward. '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,' Commodore Tarriela said in a statement. 'This resulted in substantial damage to the CCG vessel's forecastle, rending it unseaworthy.' This video grab shows a Chinese Navy vessel (R) following an incident with a Chinese Coast Guard ship (not seen), as viewed from a Philippine fisheries boat near Scarborough Shoal in the disputed South China Sea. Picture: Handout/Philippine Coast Guard/AFP The moment the Chinese Navy vessel (far left, bow pictured) and Chinese Coast Guard ship (second from left) collided. Picture: Handout/Philippine Coast Guard/AFP At a later press briefing, Cdre Tarriela said that crew members aboard the smaller Chinese vessel had been visible in its front section just before the collision. 'We're not sure whether they were able to rescue those personnel who were in front prior to the collision,' he told reporters. 'But we are hoping that these personnel are in good condition.' Cdre Tarriela said the Chinese crew 'never responded' to the Philippine ship's offer of assistance. The damaged Chinese Coast Guard ship, right, is seen beside the Chinese Navy vessel, left. Picture: Philippine Coast Guard via AP Gan Yu, a Chinese Coast Guard spokesperson, confirmed that a confrontation had taken place without mentioning the collision. 'The China Coast Guard 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. A Chinese Coast Guard spokesperson confirmed that a confrontation had taken place, but did not mention the collision. Picture: Philippine Coast Guard/AP China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not confirm or deny the collision when asked about it by AFP. 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 per cent of global maritime trade passes through the disputed waterway. Speaking at a morning news conference, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos 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. Earlier in the confrontation, the BRP Suluan was 'targeted with a water cannon' by the Chinese but 'successfully' evaded it, Cdre Tarriela's statement said. Originally published as Chinese vessels collide while pursuing Philippine boat in South China Sea
