China and the Philippines traded mutual accusations after an incident between their vessels near Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea. The clash occurred on the eve of a planned visit by China’s top diplomat to the ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting in the Philippines.
Late Monday evening, the China Coast Guard said on social media that around 9:00 a.m. that day, while its small patrol vessel was near the shoal, two rubber boats were launched from BRP Sierra Madre — a Philippine Navy ship Manila deliberately grounded about 27 years ago. According to the China Coast Guard, the Philippine vessels “ignored repeated warnings”, dangerously approached, and rammed the Chinese patrol ship.
Accusations of use of force and provocations
According to the Chinese side, Philippine personnel initially used oars and long poles to “maliciously attack” Chinese law enforcement officers. In response, Beijing stated that the coast guard acted in accordance with the law, using verbal warnings, collision-avoidance maneuvers, and reciprocal countermeasures to stabilize the situation, while demonstrating rationality and restraint.
Beijing accused Manila of “distorting the facts” and “falsely accusing China”, and called for an immediate end to provocations and the spread of false information. The China Coast Guard said it would continue patrols and law-enforcement operations to protect its interests in the South China Sea. The think tank Initiative for the Study of the Strategic Situation in the South China Sea released four video recordings of the incident, stating that, in its view, the Philippine side initiated the collision.
Diplomatic context and history of the territorial dispute
The incident occurred on the eve of the arrival of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Manila on Wednesday to participate in the ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting. The parties are expected to discuss the situation in the South China Sea, where both countries have competing claims.
Second Thomas Shoal, known in the Philippines as Ayungin Shoal and in China as Renai Jiao, has been the subject of a territorial dispute since 1999. At that time, Manila deliberately grounded the World War II-era landing ship Sierra Madre to assert its claims and stationed a unit of marines on it. Beijing has repeatedly demanded the vessel’s removal and has intercepted Philippine supply missions, which has led to new incidents.
The incident occurred roughly a week after the 10th anniversary of a ruling by The Hague’s arbitral tribunal, which held that most of China’s claims to historic and economic rights in the South China Sea were invalid. Beijing did not participate in the case and rejects the ruling.
Source: South China Morning Post
