Escalation in the South China Sea and the Coast Guard collision
Over the weekend, another incident occurred involving the coast guard ships of China and the Philippines in the South China Sea. Both countries accuse each other of deliberately ramming their vessels. Footage presented by the Philippine Coast Guard indicates that the Chinese ship deliberately struck the stern of the Philippine vessel.
The incident near Sabina Shoal occurred on Saturday. Two coast guard vessels - one from China and one from the Philippines - collided. It was the fifth incident in the disputed waters this month.
Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela showed footage of the collision at a press conference, asserting that the Chinese vessel, unprovoked, directly and deliberately rammed the Philippine vessel.
The Chinese claim that their ship was rammed
Meanwhile, Chinese Coast Guard spokesperson Liu Dejun stated in a communication that the Philippine vessel was in those waters illegally and "deliberately rammed" the Chinese ship.
"The Chinese coast guard will take the measures required to resolutely thwart all acts of provocation, nuisance and infringement and resolutely safeguard the country's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests," Liu threatened.
Tarriela stated that the Philippines would not withdraw its cutter "despite the harassment, the bullying activities and escalatory action of the Chinese Coast Guard."
The US condemns China's actions
The United States condemned China's "dangerous and escalatory" actions against legal Philippine operations in the South China Sea on Saturday, GMT, as described in a statement by the State Department.
"A China Coast Guard vessel deliberately collided three times with a Philippine Coast Guard vessel exercising its freedom of navigation in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), causing damage to the vessel and jeopardizing the safety of the crew onboard," stated State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.
China’s claims have no legal basis
The South China Sea is considered one of the most volatile points in East Asia. China claims almost the entire sea as its own territory and conflicts with several other countries, including the Philippines, over specific areas.
In 2016, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea ruled that China's claims have no basis in international law, but Beijing rejected the decision.
Sabina Shoal, which the Chinese call Xianbin, lies about 120 kilometers from the Philippine island of Palawan. Manila accused Beijing of attempting to create a man-made island there, destroying coral reefs in the process. The PRC authorities deny this.
