On August 26, the Chinese Coast Guard ship (background left and right) passed the Philippine Coast Guard ship BRP Cape Engano (middle). The photo was taken on August 26 from the BRP during a supply mission in the Sabina Shoal in the disputed waters of the South China Sea. Photo taken by Cabra, 2024.
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China and the Philippines on Saturday accused each other of colliding ships in disputed waters in the South China Sea, the latest in a series of escalating conflicts in the vital waterway.
China's Coast Guard said a Philippine ship “illegally grounded” in Sabina Shoal weighed anchor and “deliberately rammed” a Chinese vessel, while the Philippine Coast Guard said a Chinese vessel “deliberately rammed” a vessel in Manila .
Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam. Parts of the waterway are believed to be rich in oil and gas resources as well as fish stocks, with trade worth $3 trillion a year.
In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration found that China's sweeping claims had no legal basis, but Beijing denied them.
In a statement, Chinese Coast Guard spokesman Liu Dejun called on the Philippines to immediately withdraw its troops from Scarborough Shoal.
The China Coast Guard will take necessary measures to resolutely thwart all provocations, nuisances and violations, and resolutely safeguard national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.
Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Jay Taliera said at a press conference that the Chinese Coast Guard ignored collision regulations and conducted dangerous operations, causing damage, but there were no reports of casualties.
The shoal is located within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone.
