WWIII
Philippines says China Coast Guard fired water cannon, 'sideswiped' govt vessel
Agence France-Presse
December 4, 2024
AFPA frame grab from a handout video released by the Philippines shows an apparent collision between a China Coast Guard ship (R) and a fisheries department vessel
The Philippines said the China Coast Guard fired water cannon and "sideswiped" a government vessel Wednesday during a maritime patrol near the disputed Scarborough Shoal, after Beijing said it had "exercised control" over the ship.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, brushing off rival claims from other countries -- including the Philippines -- and an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.
Vessels from the two sides have clashed frequently in the past year, resulting in injuries and damage.
Tensions flared again on Wednesday, with Manila releasing a video appearing to show a Chinese coast guard ship firing a torrent of water at the Philippines fisheries department vessel BRP Datu Pagbuaya.
Other footage apparently taken from the Philippine ship showed its crew shouting "Collision! Collision!" as the much larger Chinese vessel nears its right-hand side before crashing into it.
The water cannon was aimed "directly at the vessel's navigational antennas", the Philippine coast guard and fisheries ministry said in a joint statement.
The Chinese vessel "intentionally sideswiped" the ship before launching a second water cannon attack, the statement said.
China's coast guard said in an initial statement that Philippine ships "came dangerously close" and that its crew's actions had been "in accordance with the law".
In a later statement, it accused Manila of making "bogus accusations in an attempt to mislead international understanding".
It said the Philippine ship had
AFP A China Coast Guard ship deploys water cannon at a fisheries department vessel
"turned at a great angle and reversed, deliberately colliding" with the Chinese ship.
Video released by Manila said to be drone footage of the collision does not show the Philippine ship reversing.
The videos were reviewed by AFP Factcheck, who found no evidence of their prior circulation online but were unable to independently verify them further.
The Chinese coast guard later released a video it said showed the Philippine ship ramming its vessel.
The 20-second showed the moments just before and after the collision but not the lead-up.
- Growing tensions -
Scarborough Shoal -- a triangular chain of reefs and rocks -- has been a flashpoint between the countries since China seized it from the Philippines in 2012.
Since then, Beijing has deployed patrol boats that Manila says harass Philippine vessels and prevent Filipino fishermen from accessing a fish-rich lagoon there.
The shoal lies 240 kilometers (150 miles) west of the Philippines' main island of Luzon and nearly 900 kilometers from the nearest major Chinese land mass of Hainan.
Philippine officials said in a press conference there had been another incident on Wednesday near Sabina Shoal, in the Spratly Islands.
A Chinese coastguard vessel "intentionally rammed" another fisheries department vessel, which "significantly destroyed some of her structure", an official said.
The Chinese side has not released a statement on the incident.
Tensions between Manila and Beijing in the South China Sea escalated last month when Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos signed two laws defining the country's sea waters and imposing fixed lanes for foreign ships, prompting China to summon the Philippine ambassador.
And ties frayed further when the Philippines and the United States signed a security deal allowing both sides to share classified information.
In a separate incident, Beijing said Monday it had taken "control measures" against Philippine ships it accused of "illegally gathering" near Iroquois Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands.
On that occasion, Beijing warned Manila to "immediately stop its infringements and provocations".
Manila said a Chinese navy helicopter had "harassed" Philippine fishing vessels in the area, and shared video footage that purported to show the aircraft hovering low over a Philippine boat.
The Philippine coast guard said it had deployed two vessels in the area "to ensure the safety and security of Filipino fishermen exercising their right to fish freely" there.
© Agence France-Presse
Chinese Helicopter Hazes Philippine Fishermen at Iroquois Reef
Last week, after a PLA Navy helicopter harassed fishing vessels near Iroquois Reef in the Philippine exclusive economic zone, the Philippine Coast Guard deployed two of its newest cutters to the area to help protect local fishermen. BRP Melchora Aquino and BRP Cape Engaño were dispatched to the area to demonstrate the "firm stance and commitment of [President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.] not to surrender a square inch of our territory to any foreign power," the PCG said in a statement.
On Monday, the China Coast Guard accused the Philippines of deploying fishing vessels to gather near Iroquois Reef under a "pretext of fishing" - the same pretext used by the Chinese maritime militia, a state paramilitary organization that operates hundreds of trawlers in the Philippine exclusive economic zone. In a statement, the CCG alleged that the Philippine fishing vessels were conducting an "illegal gathering" in the Philippine exclusive economic zone, more than 600 nautical miles away from mainland China.
"Dealing with an authoritarian regime that disregards human rights and freedom is very challenging. The China Coast Guard views the fishing activities of a group of Filipino fishermen as an 'illegal gathering' and interprets it as a provocation on the part of the Philippines," said Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Jay Tarriela. "Filipino fishermen have every legal right to fish in our EEZ, as it is only 138 nautical miles from the coastline of Palawan."
The Chinese allegation follows less than a week after a swarm of 80-plus Chinese maritime militia vessels anchored near Pag-Asa Island, within the Philippines' 12-mile territorial sea boundary. That cluster of Chinese ships has departed the area and relocated en masse to the Chinese naval base at Subi Reef, according to open-source intelligence analysts and satellite imaging.
Beijing claims most of the western Philippine EEZ under the sweeping "nine-dash line" policy, even though this claim was invalidated by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague in 2016. China refuses to recognize the court ruling, and it maintains that it has historical sovereignty over the vast majority of the South China Sea, including the areas beyond national jurisdiction and most of the exclusive economic zones of neighboring states.
Russian sub transits Philippine EEZ
Last week, a Russian Kilo-class submarine was spotted on the surface about 80 nautical miles to the west of Occidental Mindoro, transiting the Philippine EEZ. The Philippine Navy deployed a patrol aircraft and the frigate BRP Jose Rizal to monitor its passage.
Courtesy AFP
The sub was identified as the Ufa, a Kilo II-class diesel-electric attack sub, which had been deployed for exercises with the Malaysian Navy earlier in November. The Philippine Navy queried the surfaced sub by VHF, and the captain responded that the vessel was on its way back to Vladivostok and was waiting out poor weather. It remained surfaced throughout its transit through Philippine waters.
In a brief exchange with reporters on Monday, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that the sub's unexpected presence was "very worrisome," but declined to comment on details.
The Russian corvettes Gromkiy, Aldar Tsydenzhapov and Rezkiy are also currently operating in the South China Sea, along with the oiler Pechenga.
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