1 of 2 | An activist holds a placard during a protest at the Chinese Consulate in Manila, Philippines, in 2021. On Monday, a Chinese coast guard vessel that was chasing a Philippine vessel when it crashed into another Chinese ship. File Photo by Mark R. Christino/EPA
Two Chinese ships collided in the South China Sea Monday while one ship was chasing a Philippines Coast Guard vessel.
A large warship and a smaller China coast guard vessel collided. The smaller ship had been chasing the Philippines vessel and shooting water cannons at it, when it made a sharp turn and crashed into the largership.
Philippine coast guard officials were distributing aid to fishermen in the disputed Scarborough Shoal, Commodore Jay Tarriela said.
China confirmed that a confrontation took place and accused the Philippines of “forcibly intruding” into Chinese waters. It didn’t mention the crash, which caused serious damage to the larger ship.
Scarborough Shoal is a triangular-shaped feature, made up of of a handful of rocks and reefs that falls within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone. But China has claimed that it is part of the Zhongsha Islands, taking control of it in 2012. It’s known as Huangyan Island to China and Bajo de Masinloc to the Philippines.
The crash made the Chinese warship “unseaworthy,” Tarriela said. It’s not known if anyone was injured.
Tarriela said that the Philippines Coast Guard has “consistently urged” Chinese authorities to respect international conventions when handling territorial disputes, “especially considering their role in enforcing maritime laws.”
“We have also emphasised that such reckless behavior at sea could ultimately lead to accidents,” he added.
China’s coast guard said it was acting “in accordance with the law” and took “all necessary measures” to drive the Philippine boats away.
Chinese coast guard spokesperson Gan Yu said in a statement that they forced Philippine and government vessels away from the area after they “ignored repeated warnings from the Chinese side and insistently intruded into the waterway.”
“Huangyan Island is an inherent part of China’s territory,” Gan said. He added that the coast guard would enforce the law “to safeguard national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.”
The Philippine coast guard’s statement said that it “immediately offered support, including help with man-overboard recovery and medical aid for any injured crew members.”
In recent years, skirmishes between China and the Philippines have escalated in the South China Sea.
In February 2023, the Philippine Coast Guard accused a Chinese ship of deploying laser lights at the crew of the BRP Malapascua, as well as coming within 150 yards of the Manila vessel, in an effort it called a “blatant disregard for and a clear violation of Philippine sovereign rights in this part of the West Philippine Sea.”
In December 2024, the Philippines said China’s coast guard fired water canons and sideswiped a government vessel during a maritime patrol near Scarborough Shoal.
In June 2024, Filipino soldiers used their “bare hands” to fight Chinese coast guard personnel armed with swords, spears and knives in the area. One Filipino soldier lost his thumb, Manila said.
The South China Sea is an important fishing area to Chinese, Filipino and Vietnamese fishing boats.
