Philippines says Chinese maneuvers caused collision in South China Sea
CHINESE SHIPS on Sunday collided with Philippine vessels trying to deliver food and other supplies to Filipino troops at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, a Philippine task force said.
The “dangerous blocking maneuvers” of the China Coast Guard vessel 5203 had caused it to collide with an Armed Forces of the Philippines-contracted indigenous resupply boat 13.5 nautical miles (25 kilometers) east-northeast of BRP Sierra Madre, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea said in a statement.
BRP Sierra Madre is a World War II-era ship that the Philippines deliberately grounded at the shoal in 1999 to assert its sovereignty claim.
“The provocative, irresponsible and illegal action of China Coast Guard vessel 5203 imperiled the safety of the crew of Unaiza 2,” it said, referring to the Philippine ship.
The embassies of the US and Canada in Manila condemned the Chinese vessels’ action, saying it put the lives of Filipino crew at risk.
China’s “continuing acts of intimidation and coercion undermine safety, stability and security across the region and increase the risk of miscalculation,” the Canadian Embassy said in a statement. It commended “the professionalism and restraint” exercised by the Philippine Coast Guard.
The Philippine task force said a Chinese maritime militia vessel had “bumped” a Philippine Coast Guard patrol vessel that was escorting the resupply mission about 6.4 nautical miles northeast of the shoal.
The mission was ongoing, with another supply boat named Unaiza May 1 expected to reach BRP Sierra Madre, it added.
The Chinese vessels violated the sovereign rights and jurisdiction of the Philippines, the Philippine task force said.
It also accused the ships of blatantly disregarding international maritime conventions and a 2016 ruling by a United Nations-backed tribunal that voided China’s expansive sea claims.
In a statement posted on its website, the Chinese Coast Guard accused the Philippine vessels of transporting construction materials to the shoal that it calls Ren’ai Reef, which it said was illegal.
It also said the vessel was “illegally sitting on the beach.”
Tensions between the Philippines and China have worsened after the Chinese Coast Guard fired water cannons to block Manila’s attempt to deliver food and other supplies to the grounded ship on Aug. 5.
Philippine officials have said China has no business dictating what the Philippines can and cannot transport within its exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea.
Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. last week vowed to upgrade coast guard vessels and other equipment amid rising tensions with China.
“We can see that our capability is increasing so we can defend the maritime territory of the Philippines,” he told reporters in Filipino, as he led the inspection of a Philippine Coast Guard vessel that was water cannoned by the Chinese Coast Guard near Second Thomas Shoal in August.
He said the coast guard would soon have 40 40-foot vessels that would help boost the country’s maritime capability.
The upgrade is needed not just because they are on the frontline of maritime defense but also because of the function they play in search-and-rescue and disaster response, the President told reporters on the sidelines of the celebration of the 122nd founding anniversary of the Philippine Coast Guard in Manila.
Armed Forces chief Romeo S. Brawner, Jr. last week said a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy vessel had come as close as 350 yards as it tried to cut off a Philippine navy vessel near Thitu Island, which Filipinos call Pag-asa.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a news briefing on Oct. 16 the Philippines violated China’s sovereignty by occupying the island.
A United Nations-backed tribunal in 2016 voided China’s claim to more than 80% of the South China Sea based on a 1940s map. China has ignored the ruling. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza
