Philippines Condemns China After South China Sea Collision Captured on Video

Asia Pacific|Philippines Condemns China After South China Sea Collision Captured on Video

The Philippines condemned China on Tuesday for a confrontation in the South China Sea that led to an extraordinary collision between two Chinese ships in the contested waters.

Video released by the Philippine Coast Guard shows a Chinese coast guard ship chasing a Philippine patrol boat before colliding with a Chinese warship in a loud crash. The footage, which the Philippines said was taken Monday, later shows what appears to be extensive damage to the bow of the Chinese coast guard ship.

In a statement about the collision, which occurred near Scarborough Shoal, a flashpoint between the nations, the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs said it was “seriously concerned” by the “dangerous maneuvers” of the two Chinese vessels, which were both tailing the Philippine ship.

“Their actions not only posed a grave danger to Philippine personnel and vessels, but also resulted in the unfortunate collision between the two Chinese vessels,” the statement said. The coast guard did not include any reports of injuries.

Gan Yu, a spokesperson for the China Coast Guard, told the official Xinhua news agency that China’s actions were professional and legitimate, saying that the coast guard would continue such activities “to resolutely safeguard national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.” His comments did not mention the collision.

The Scarborough Shoal has been under the control of Beijing since a 2012 naval standoff, though it is closer to Manila and is a traditional fishing ground for Filipino communities. Xinhua quoted Mr. Gan as saying that the Chinese ship had expelled the Philippine vessel after it intruded into the area.

The Philippine Coast Guard said in a statement on Monday that its patrol boat had been in the area providing support to Filipino fishing vessels. The Chinese coast guard ship began chasing it at high speed and performed a “risky maneuver” that led to the crash, resulting in extensive damage and rendering the ship “unseaworthy,” the statement said.

The collision was the latest episode in a yearslong contest between China and the Philippines over territory in the South China Sea, which contains rich fisheries and shipping lanes that carry about a third of global maritime trade.

China’s militarization of the waters and its expansive territorial claims have inflamed tensions in the region, with China and the Philippines repeatedly accusing the other of ramming into each other’s vessels. A 2016 ruling by an international tribunal rejected China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea, but Philippine officials say that Chinese ships regularly intimidate Filipino fishermen and block them from the region.

The Philippine Coast Guard said that its mission on Monday was to deliver supplies to about 35 fishing boats near the Scarborough Shoal, a chain of reefs and rocks 140 miles west of the Philippines, under a government program that gives them fuel and ice so that they can continue fishing in the area.

“After all this commotion,” Mr. Tarriela said, the coast guard “was able to escort the other Filipino fisherman to a much more safer place.”