MANILA, Philippines – China’s coast guard targeted a Philippine ship with water cannon blasts Sunday and rammed one of them, damaging and endangering Filipino crew members off a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, just a day after similar hostilities on a disputed shoal, Philippine officials said. .
The Philippines and its treaty ally, the United States, immediately condemned the latest confrontation near Second Thomas Shoal, where two Philippine navy supply boats and two Philippine coast guard escort vessels had set sail to deliver food and other supplies to Philippine forces in fenced naval vessels. long that serves as a regional post.
“We condemn, once again, China’s latest unprovoked coercive and dangerous moves against the legitimate and routine Philippine rotation and resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal which has put the lives of our people in danger,” a Philippine government task force dealing with the dispute the province said in a statement, using the Philippine name for the shoal.
A Chinese coast guard high-pressure water cannon blast disabled and damaged the engine of the Philippine supply boat M/L Kalayaan, which had to be towed to the Philippines’ western Palawan region, Philippine officials said, adding that the action seriously endangered the lives of the crew.
One of the two escort vessels of the Philippine coast guard, the BRP Cabra, suffered damage to its mast from a water cannon blast.
Another supply boat was rammed by a Chinese coast guard vessel but still managed to move and deliver supplies to Philippine marines at Second Thomas Shoal, they said.
China’s Coast Guard targets a Philippine ship with water cannon blasts near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea on Dec. 10, 2023. Philippine Coast Guard via AP
Drone video footage and photos released by the Philippine coast guard showed two Chinese coast guard ships separately firing water cannons at close range at the BRP Cabra and a smaller supply boat.
“The systematic and consistent manner in which the People’s Republic of China has carried out these illegal and irresponsible actions raises questions and casts doubt on the sincerity of its call for peaceful dialogue,” he said. “We demand that China show that it is a responsible and trustworthy member of the international community.”
China’s coast guard said it had “implemented controls in accordance with laws and regulations.” The statement did not provide details on the measures taken but said the Philippines’ actions “seriously violate China’s sovereignty.”
The Chinese Coast Guard ship also rammed a Philippine supply boat. Philippine Coast Guard via AP
It also alleged that a Philippine ship ignored warnings and violated international navigation rules by making a sharp turn in an “unprofessional and dangerous manner” and intentionally collided with a Chinese coast guard vessel, causing “scratches.”
“The responsibility lies entirely with the Philippines,” said the coast guard.
Coast guard spokesman Gan Yu described China’s actions as “reasonable, legal and professional,” and said such operations would continue unabated.
“We strongly warn the Philippines to immediately stop its acts of violation … and strictly control its frontline provocations so as not to drop stones at its own feet,” Gan was quoted as saying on the coast guard’s website.
China’s actions were strongly condemned by foreign diplomats in the Philippines, including ambassadors from treaty partners the US, the European Union and Japan.
“The US stands with the Philippines and partners in strongly condemning the PRC’s repeated illegal and dangerous actions against ships,” US Ambassador MaryKay L. Carlson posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Chinese ships, which have surrounded the Philippine-occupied Second Thomas Shoal for years, have blocked the Philippine coast guard and supplied boats in a years-long effort to control the hotly contested atoll claimed by both countries.
China has rejected all international condemnation and attempts at legal intervention, including a 2016 ruling by a UN-backed arbitration tribunal that invalidated China’s claim, leaving it without any legal basis. China insists it has the legal right to “defend its sovereignty” in line with its claims to almost the entire South China Sea, one of the world’s most important waterways for shipping and other maritime activities.
The confrontation took place near the Second Thomas Shoal for the second day in a row. Philippine Coast Guard via AP
On Saturday, China’s coast guard and escort vessels also trained water cannons on three Philippine fishing vessels to prevent them from approaching Scarborough Shoal in disputed waters northwest of the Philippines.
That caused “major damage” to the communication and navigation equipment of one of the three ships of the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Philippine officials said. They added that a suspected militia vessel escorting a Chinese coast guard vessel used a long-range acoustic device that could affect hearing, causing “severe temporary discomfort and incapacitation to some Filipino crew members.”
In another high seas battle this year, Chinese coast guard ships used military-grade lasers that temporarily blinded Filipino crew members and engaged in dangerous blocking and shadowing maneuvers that caused minor collisions, Philippine officials said.
A Chinese Coast Guard vessel rammed the Philippine navy supply boat Unaizah Mae 1. Philippine Coast Guard via AP
More tension ensues.
“The Philippines will not be deterred from exercising our legal rights over our maritime zone,” the Philippine government task force said.
A group of 40 civilian fishing boats, supported by Philippine coast guard escort vessels, were initially on their way Sunday to Second Thomas Shoal but decided to continue first to two Philippine-occupied islets in the South China Sea to deliver Christmas food packs.
From there, organizers will reassess before the flotilla goes ahead with plans to sail around the Second Thomas Shoal, said one of the organizers, Rafaela David, who condemned China’s latest move.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
