Asia –
New skirmish between Chinese and Filipino ships
Chinese and Philippine ships have experienced a new incident near the Scarborough Reef, which the two countries dispute in the South China Sea.
Published today at 5:55 a.m.
The Chinese coast guard used water cannons during the incident.
AFP
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The Philippines said on Wednesday that the Chinese coast guard had used water cannons and “struck” one of its ships in the South China Sea, with Beijing saying it had simply “exercised control”.
A video released by the Manila National Task Force for the South China Sea shows a Beijing coast guard vessel colliding with a boat of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, an agency of the Philippine government.
water channel
The Chinese vessel “used a water cannon on the BRP Datu Pagbuaya (the name of the ship), directly targeting its navigation antennas,” said the Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson for the South China Sea. , Commodore Jay Tarriela, in a press release.
The coast guard then “intentionally hit” the Philippine vessel, before unleashing a second salvo of water cannon, Jay Tarriela added. Beijing reacted to these accusations, saying that the Chinese ships had only “exercised control (…) in accordance with the law”.
“On December 4,” several Philippine vessels including coast guard vessels “attempted to enter Chinese territorial waters around Huangyan Island,” said Liu Dejun, a spokesperson for the Chinese coast guard. using the Chinese name for Scarborough Reef. The Philippine ships then came “dangerously close to regular Chinese coast guard patrols,” he continued.
Beijing “firmly” defends its sovereignty
The Chinese army had already announced last Thursday the sending of a “patrol” near the Scarborough Reef in order to “firmly defend” its sovereignty, against a backdrop of recurring bilateral tensions. Located in an area rich in fisheries resources, the reef is claimed by China, which took control of it in 2012, and the Philippines.
For historical reasons, China claims almost all of the islets in the South China Sea against other neighboring countries (Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia). An arbitration court ruled in 2016 that his claims had no legal basis.
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