Chinese and Philippine ships have once again collided near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, the latest sign of ongoing maritime tensions between the two sides.
As has become routine, the two governments each released a statement detailing yesterday’s incident and assigning blame. In a statement, a Philippine government task force accused the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) of ramming and firing water cannon at the BRP Datu Sanday, a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel carrying diesel, food and medical supplies for Filipino fishermen at Sabina Shoal.
En route from Half Moon Shoal to Sabina Shoal, the Datu Sanday “encountered aggressive and dangerous maneuvers by eight People’s Republic of China vessels,” the task force said. The CCG vessels “conducted dangerous maneuvers that resulted in ramming, honking, and the use of water cannons against the BFAR vessel.”
These “unprofessional, aggressive and illegal actions posed a serious threat to the safety of the Filipino crew and the fishermen they were meant to serve,” the statement added. In line with its transparency strategy, the task force also released videos of the incident that appeared to show the use of water cannons and the two collisions.
China, which claims most of the Spratly Islands as part of its sprawling “nine-dash line,” blamed the Philippine vessel for the incident. According to the Associated Press, CCG spokesman Gan Yu said the Philippine vessel approached the Chinese coast guard ship in an “unprofessional” and “dangerous” manner, causing the two vessels to come into contact.
“The responsibility lies entirely with the Philippines. We strongly warn the Philippines to stop the attacks and provocations immediately, otherwise they will have to face all consequences,” Gan said.
The Philippines was also forced to refute a claim made in some Chinese state media reports that the CCG rescued crew members of the Datu Sanday who had fallen overboard. In a statement, the National Security Council said the reports were “completely baseless” and the misinformation “clearly demonstrates that the People’s Republic of China is willing to distort the truth and spread disinformation to improve its public image.”
Yesterday’s clash was the second to occur at Sabina Reef since China and the Philippines reached a preliminary “agreement” last month to manage tensions at Second Thomas Reef. Those tensions, which revolved around the CCG’s efforts to prevent Filipino supplies from being delivered to the garrison stationed aboard a warship stranded on the reef, culminated in a violent clash on June 17 in which a Filipino sailor lost a finger in a scuffle with Chinese personnel.
Following the incident, Manila and Beijing pledged to “restore trust” and “rebuild” to prevent their naval disputes from escalating into open conflict. This was followed by a tentative agreement allowing the PCG and the Philippine Navy to resupply the Second Thomas Shoal garrison. Since then, the Philippines has conducted a resupply mission without incident.
Last week, however, both sides confirmed that a collision between CCG vessels and two Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessels occurred in waters near Sabina Shoal, which is about 60 kilometers east of Second Thomas Shoal and just about 140 kilometers northwest of the Philippine island of Palawan. (Both areas are within the internationally recognized Exclusive Economic Zone of the Philippines.) The Philippines claimed that both vessels were damaged in the collision on August 19.
Yesterday’s incident came a day after the Philippines claimed one of its BFAR aircraft was threatened by flares fired from Chinese-occupied Subi Reef while on a routine patrol. This suggests that after reaching a point of diminishing effectiveness at Second Thomas Reef, China has simply redirected its pressure campaign to other parts of the Spratly Islands, apparently identifying Sabina Reef as a weak spot for the Philippines – and a place it may be forced to cede control of.
