Philippines accuses Chinese ship of ramming government vessel

MANILA: The Philippines accused a Chinese Coast Guard ship of ramming one of its fisheries department boats on Friday morning in contested waters of the South China Sea. China's coast guard subsequently claimed the incident was the fault of the Philippine vessel, blaming it for "disregarding repeated solemn warnings" and "deliberately changing course to cut across the bow of the Chinese coast guard vessel."

The confrontation occurred near a shoal in the Spratly Islands, a disputed territory rich in fish and the subject of violent clashes with Chinese vessels in recent years. Beijing asserts sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, despite an international ruling that contradicts this claim. The Chinese vessel struck the Philippine vessel, BRP Datu Magat Salamat, as it conducted a maritime patrol to deliver fuel subsidies to local fishermen.

Nine minutes after the initial collision, the Chinese vessel repeated the maneuver, making direct contact with the Philippine boat. Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Jay Tarriela reported that the Chinese vessel made contact with the Philippine vessel at a distance of only about 10 meters, though the impact was not visible in a released video.

China's coast guard spokesperson, Jiang Lue, strongly condemned the actions of the Philippine vessel, warning that they violated international law and threatened the safety of Chinese personnel. The Philippines and China have resumed their confrontations in the South China Sea following a period of calm, just as Manila hosted a gathering of ASEAN foreign ministers.