Regarding the most recent collisions involving their vessels in the disputed South China Sea on Saturday, the coast guards of China and the Philippines exchanged accusations.
According to state broadcaster CCTV, the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) said that a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ship had “deliberately collided” with one of its vessels close to the disputed Sabina Shoal.
At 12:06, the Chinese ship No. 5205, which was typically upholding law and order, and the Philippine ship No. 9701 intentionally collided in a risky and unprofessional way, resulting in a collision. The Philippines has full responsibility,” CCG spokeswoman Liu Dejun stated on Saturday. he disputed atoll lies just 86 miles from the Philippines’ west coast and 745 miles from China.
A spokesperson for the US State Department said it condemned China for “deliberately colliding three times” with the Philippine vessel. “On multiple occasions throughout August 2024, (China) has aggressively disrupted lawful Philippine aerial and maritime operations in the South China Sea, including at Sabina Shoal,” said the spokesperson Matthew Miller said.
Miller added that the US called on China to comply with international law and “desist from dangerous and destabilizing conduct.” China claims almost all of the South China Sea as its sovereign territory despite an international ruling to the contrary.
The escalation in tensions comes just weeks after Beijing and Manila struck a temporary deal to lower tensions that had been rising all summer at another nearby reef, where China’s increasingly aggressive tactics had raised alarm across the region as well as in Washington, a mutual defense ally of the Philippines.
Source: Here