The Philippines accused Beijing of “aggressive” conduct that resulted in one person being hurt after China’s Coast Guard reported firing water cannon at Philippine ships Tuesday near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea.
The clash occurred one week after China authorised plans to create a national nature reserve on the shoal, a move that defence experts say will put Manila’s response to the 150 sq km (58 sq mile) triangle of rocks and reefs to the test. In response, the Philippine Coast Guard charged that its Chinese counterpart had harassed ships that it claimed were helping fishermen on a humanitarian mission.
More than ten Philippine ships were involved in the incident on Tuesday, according to Gan Yu, a spokesman for China’s Coast Guard, who charged that the ships had “illegally invaded China’s territorial waters of the Scarborough Shoal from different directions.
He claimed that the Chinese coast guard had legitimately put control measures in place against the Philippine ships. According to Gan, these included actions like water cannon spraying, route limitations, and verbal warnings.
As the Chinese Coast Guard ship shot water cannon at the Philippine vessel, the bow of the Philippine vessel 3014 collided with the Chinese ship, causing damage to a portion of the deck railing, according to a video published by the Chinese Coast Guard.
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