Chinese coast guard vessel rams civilian Philippine boat on refuelling mission in South China Sea
Philippine Coast Guard reported a collision on Friday in which a Chinese Coast Guard vessel hit a boat in the disputed South China Sea.Philippine’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel, BRP Datu Magat Salamat, was reportedly rammed while it was heading to distribute fuel to Filipino fishermen about 54 nautical miles off the coast of Palawan province.The Chinese vessel carried out a series of dangerous manoeuvres and eventually made contact with the ship, damaging its railings and deck structures but causing no injuries, the coast guard said.“The China Coast Guard deliberately rammed a civilian government vessel on a humanitarian and livelihood mission,” the coast guard said, releasing a video of the incident.Meanwhile, the Chinese coast guard called it a law enforcement operation, and accused the Philippine vessel of having “disregarded repeated solemn warnings, deliberately altered its course and suddenly accelerated to cut across the bow of our vessel.”Additionally, it stated that its boat had operated professionally, blaming the Philippine side for the collision.Such incidents in the South China Sea are occasional, owing to its disputed nature.In July, the Philippines accused China of firing water cannons at government vessels near the Scarborough Shoal. The Chinese were also accused of hitting a Philippine Navy staff member on the head with a wooden baton during an encounter in the Second Thomas Shoal.Beijing claims historic rights to nearly the entire region via its expansive “nine-dash line”, while Manila bases its claims on an internationally recognised Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and continental shelf under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), referring to the eastern portions of these waters as the West Philippine Sea.
