MANILA: China’s coast guard used water cannons against a Philippine vessel in the South China Sea, badly damaging one of them and injuring its crew, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea said on Saturday.
The skirmish took place days after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Manila to reiterate Washington’s “ironclad” support against Chinese influence in the disputed region that Beijing claims almost in its entirety.
China’s military activity in the resource-rich territory has been increasing over the past few years, with the Chinese regularly encroaching on the Philippine part of the waters, the West Philippine Sea.
The Unaizah May 4 supply vessel was on its way to Ayungin Shoal — the Filipino name for the Second Thomas Shoal, an outcrop garrisoned by a unit of Philippine troops — when China’s coast guard and maritime militia “executed dangerous maneuvers against the routine RoRe (rotation and resupply) mission” and two Philippine coast guard vessels that came to its rescue, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea said.
“Their reckless and dangerous actions culminated with the water cannoning of UM4 causing severe damage to the vessel and injuries to Filipinos onboard.”
The injured personnel were transferred to one of the PCG vessels, which towed the UM4 back to land.
China Coast Guard spokesperson Gan Yu said that the Philippine vessels had forcibly intruded into the area “deliberately disrupting the peace and stability” of the maritime region.
“Despite multiple warnings and route controls from the Chinese side, the Filipino supply ship forcefully entered the area. The China Coast Guard lawfully and professionally implemented regulation, interception, and expulsion,” Gan said in a statement.
Philippine vessels have been regularly attacked by Chinese ships in the parts of the South China Sea that are internationally recognized as belonging to the Philippines.
In a rare announcement, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea said on Saturday that its chairperson and the national security adviser were going to meet the executive secretary and the National Security Cluster on Monday “for purposes of making recommendations to the President.”
The latest in a string of maritime clashes between the two countries follows Blinken’s assertion to Philippine authorities that the disputed waterways are critical not only to the security of the Philippines but also the US.
“That’s why we stand with the Philippines and stand by our ironclad defense commitments, including under the mutual defense treaty,” he told reporters in Manila earlier this week.
The Philippines is Washington’s key security partner in Asia under a decades-long alliance and the 1951 treaty that obliges the US to defend its ally in the case of external attack.
In the past two years, the partnership has expanded under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who in February last year permitted American troops to increase their footprint in the country.
American troops have been patrolling the South China Sea with Philippine forces since November, despite protests from Beijing, which says the US is not a party to the maritime dispute.
