Chinese, Philippine ships collide in disputed sea – 08/19/2024 – Al-Alam

The Pacific region, disputed by several Asian countries, was the scene of another confrontation between China and the Philippines in the early hours of Monday (19).

Two ships from the two countries collided in a sea area called the South China Sea on Beijing’s side and the Philippine Sea on Manila’s side, leading both countries to blame each other for the incident. The incident occurred near the Sabina Shoal area between the Philippine island of Palawan and the Spratly Islands.

“Philippine Coast Guard vessels… illegally entered waters near the Xianbin Reef in the Nansha Islands without permission from the Chinese government,” Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Jean Yu said, citing the Chinese names for the sandbar and Spratly Islands.

“Despite multiple warnings from the Chinese side, Philippine ship 4410 deliberately collided with Chinese ship 21551,” she added.

The Philippine government said the Chinese ships were engaging in “illegal and aggressive maneuvers.” Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Rear Admiral Jay Tarella said the Chinese ship punctured the hull of another Philippine vessel, the BRP Cape Engano.

Manila has released photos showing a hole in the hull of the BRP Bagacay.

Gan blamed the Philippines for the incident and claimed that Manila had made dangerous maneuvers. “The Chinese coast guard took control measures against the Philippine ships in accordance with the law,” he added. In CCTV footage, a ship, identified by Beijing as a Philippine-flagged vessel, collided with a Chinese vessel and continued its journey.

Other images from the Chinese state channel show the country’s ship ramming into the stern of the Philippine vessel, while captions claim the incident occurred after the Manila ship made a “sudden change in direction.” “We sternly warn the Philippine side to immediately stop its violations and provocations,” Gan said.

For the Director General of the Philippine National Security Council, Jonathan Malaya, “It was not [o BRP Bagacay] which collided [com o outro navio]”The physical evidence proves this,” he added, adding that the Filipino crew was unharmed and continued their supply mission in the Spratly Islands.

According to Manila, this is Beijing’s first hostile action in the area, where both countries have been anchoring their coast guard ships for months. The Philippine government fears that China is building an artificial island there.

Six countries claim parts of this maritime area, an important trade route dotted with more than 250 small islands, reefs, sandbanks and small land masses.

But Beijing wants 85 percent of the area, an area roughly the size of India. In 2016, the United Nations ruled on a Philippine complaint over China’s presence in the disputed seas and ruled that Beijing’s claimed line was invalid, but stopped short of ruling on sovereignty. China rejected the ruling, arguing that the court had no jurisdiction over the matter.