MANILA: On Monday, Philippine ships sustained significant damage in pre-dawn collisions with Chinese vessels near a contested reef, according to Manila’s coast guard. This incident marks a new escalation in Beijing’s efforts to assert its claims in the South China Sea.
Recent months have seen frequent confrontations between China and the Philippines in these waters, including around the Second Thomas Shoal, where Manila has grounded a warship that hosts a garrison.
Despite an international tribunal ruling that rejects China’s claims, Beijing continues to assert dominance over nearly the entire South China Sea.
The collisions occurred near the disputed Sabina Shoal, located 140 kilometers (86 miles) west of the Philippine island of Palawan and about 1,200 kilometers from Hainan, China’s closest landmass.
Manila described this as the first aggressive action by China near Sabina, where both nations have stationed coast guard vessels and where the Philippines is concerned about potential Chinese construction of an artificial island.
According to Commodore Jay Tarriela, a spokesman for the Philippine coast guard, a Chinese vessel first struck the Philippine ship BRP Bagacay, causing a hole in its hull. A subsequent collision further damaged the ship’s railings and hull.
Another Filipino vessel, the BRP Engano, suffered a 1.1-meter (3.6-foot) hole and damage to its engine exhaust, Tarriela reported.
China Coast Guard spokesperson Gan Yu accused the Philippine vessels of “unprofessional and dangerous behavior,” leading to what he described as a minor collision. He asserted that the Chinese Coast Guard had acted within the law.
Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning claimed that the Philippine vessels had “seriously violated China’s sovereignty,” promising that China would continue to take “resolute and forceful measures” to protect its claims.
Chinese footage of the incident showed a Philippine vessel apparently colliding with the side of a Chinese ship, and another clip appeared to show a Chinese vessel making contact with a Philippine ship’s rear.
Beijing accused Manila’s ships of “illegally” entering Chinese waters and deliberately colliding with Chinese vessels. Gan Yu warned the Philippines to cease its “infringement and provocations.”
Philippine National Security Council assistant director-general Jonathan Malaya countered that it was the Chinese vessel that rammed the BRP Bagacay. He claimed that physical evidence supports this, and that the vessel suffered only minor structural damage. The Filipino crew were unharmed and continued their mission to resupply Philippine-held islands in the Spratlys.
Manila’s National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea condemned the Chinese vessels’ actions as “unlawful and aggressive.”
Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported that the incident occurred at 3:24 am local time (1924 GMT Sunday) and noted that a Philippine coast guard ship had entered waters near the Second Thomas Shoal around 6:00 am.
The Second Thomas Shoal, about 200 kilometers from Palawan and over 1,000 kilometers from Hainan, was the site of a violent clash in June, which resulted in a Filipino sailor losing a thumb.
Earlier this month, Manila reported that two Chinese air force warplanes had buzzed and dropped flares near a Philippine maritime patrol plane over the China-held Scarborough Shoal to the north.
These repeated clashes have heightened concerns that the United States, a key ally of the Philippines, could be drawn into a conflict. Analysts suggest that Beijing aims to push eastward from the Second Thomas Shoal towards Sabina Shoal, encroaching on Manila’s exclusive economic zone and normalizing Chinese control over the area. This situation recalls the 2012 takeover of Scarborough Shoal by Beijing, another strategic feature in the South China Sea near the Philippines.
