MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine military on Tuesday blamed China for the collision of two Chinese navy and coast guard ships while trying to drive the Philippine coast guard and fishermen from a disputed shoal in the South China Sea. It said it would assess how to respond to Beijing’s use of military force against civilians.
Philippine authorities said Monday’s accidental collision resulted in visibly heavy damages to the Chinese coast guard and navy ships and possible injuries.
The confrontation near the Scarborough Shoal was the latest flare-up of the long-simmering territorial standoff in the contested waters, a long-feared flashpoint in Asia.
The United States, a longtime treaty ally of the Philippines, on Tuesday condemned the “latest reckless action by China directed against a Philippine vessel.”
The Chinese coast guard on Monday blamed Philippine vessels for the confrontation and said it was forced to expel the vessels after they intruded into “China’s inherent territory,” despite warnings. It did not mention the collision or possible casualties.
Video footage made public by the Philippine coast guard shows a Chinese navy ship with the bow number 164 slamming into the bow of a Chinese coast guard ship while both try to block and force a Philippine patrol ship, the BRP Suluan, away from Scarborough. The Chinese coast guard ship can be seen using its water cannon.
The video shows the heavily shattered bow of the Chinese coast guard ship, where at least two Chinese personnel were seen standing shortly before the crash. The Chinese navy ship sustained deep dents and what appeared to be linear cuts on its hull.
BRP Suluan offered medical help by two-way radio to the Chinese coast guard, fearing the collision may have caused injuries to its personnel, but the Philippine coast guard said it received no response.
Gan Yu, a spokesperson for the Chinese coast guard in Beijing, said Monday that the Philippine vessels intruded into Chinese territorial waters off the shoal, prompting its forces to take “necessary measures, including monitoring, forcing, intercepting and controlling the Philippine vessels to expel them.”
The chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., told reporters in Manila that the video footage clearly showed that the Chinese navy ship maneuvered to ram the BRP Suluan, which had to move to avoid being hit. As a result, the Chinese navy ship instead hit the Chinese coast guard ship, which was also closely chasing the Philippine vessel, Brawner said.
“China’s aggressive actions were very clear in this incident,” Brawner said. “They were at fault because of their aggressive maneuvers. We were there to protect Filipino fishermen in the Scarborough Shoal. That was our only objective because that’s our traditional fishing ground.”
Asked if China’s deployment of military force against civilians was a change in tactic, Brawner said it was. He said the Philippine military would assess how to respond in consultation with the coast guard and would seek guidance from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
“Now they are deploying their PLA navy, and this is one symbol of China’s aggressiveness,” he said, referring to China’s People’s Liberation Army. “We’ll discuss possible steps and our future tactics to counter China’s actions to stop us from getting access (to Scarborough).”
Chinese officials did not immediately comment on Brawner’s statement but Gan Yu insisted its forces would be “resolutely safeguarding China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.”
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Associated Press journalist Huizhong Wu contributed to this report.
