Philippines says Chinese ship ‘rammed’ government vessel in South China Sea

Manila – The Philippines accused a Chinese Coast Guard ship of ramming one of its fisheries department boats in the South China Sea on Friday, according to a report. China's coast guard responded by blaming the Philippine vessel, stating that it "bears full responsibility for the incident." The confrontation occurred near a shoal in the disputed Spratly Islands, a resource-rich area that has witnessed violent clashes with Chinese Coast Guard vessels in recent years.

Beijing claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, despite an international ruling that its claim lacks legal standing.

At around 11:04 a.m., the Chinese vessel, identified as CCG-21585, allegedly struck the Philippine fisheries boat, known as BRP Datu Magat Salamat, as it conducted a maritime patrol to deliver fuel subsidies to local fishermen. The incident was reportedly about 10 meters apart when it occurred. Nine minutes later, the Chinese vessel made contact with the Philippine boat again, further escalating the situation.

Video footage released by the Philippine Coast Guard showed the Chinese vessel near the stern of the Philippine vessel, with a crew member shouting "collision," although the impact was not visible.

The Philippine foreign ministry described the incident as a minor collision. In contrast, China's coast guard spokesperson, Jiang Lue, accused the Philippine vessel of disregarding repeated warnings and deliberately changing course to collide with the Chinese coast guard boat. Lue stated that the Philippine actions "seriously violated international law" and threatened the safety of Chinese coast guard personnel. He warned that the Philippine side must cease all acts of infringement and provocation or face consequences.

The Philippine foreign ministry emphasized that there was "no justification" for the Chinese ship to engage in aggressive actions against a Philippine civilian law enforcement vessel. It called on China to exercise restraint and prevent further regional tensions. The Philippines and China resumed their disputes in the South China Sea in July, following a period of relative calm. These renewed confrontations came as Manila hosted an ASEAN foreign ministers gathering.