China, Philippines trade blame after their ships collide in disputed waters

Chinese and Philippine coast guard ships collided at sea damaging at least two boats in an encounter early on Monday near a new flashpoint in their increasingly alarming confrontations in the disputed South China SeaBoth blamed the other for the collision near Sabina Shoal a disputed atoll in the Spratly Islands where overlapping claims are also made by Vietnam and TaiwanThere were no reports of injuries in the collisionChinas coast guard accused the Philippines of deliberately crashing one of its ships into a Chinese vessel Two Philippine coast guard ships entered waters near the shoal ignored the Chinese coast guards warning and intentionally collided with one of Chinas boats at 324 am a spokesperson said in a statement on the Chinese coast guards websiteThe Philippine side is entirely responsible for the collision Gan Yu a spokesman for the Chinese government said We warn the Philippine side to immediately stop its infringement and provocation otherwise it will bear all the consequences arising from that Yu warnedThe Philippines National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea said two of the coast guards ships BRP Bagacay and BRP Cape Engano encountered unlawful and aggressive maneuvers from Chinese coast guard vessels while en route to Patag and Lawak islands in the areaThese dangerous maneuvers resulted in collisions causing structural damage to both Philippine Coast Guard vessels a statement readThe task force said the collision between BRP Cape Engano and one of the Chinese ships created a hole on the deck of the Philippine ship with a diameter of about 5 inches 127 centimetresAbout 16 minutes later the other Philippine ship BRP Bagacay was rammed twice on its port and starboard sides by a different Chinese vessel leading to minor structural damage the task force allegedThe Philippine Coast Guard stands firm in its responsibility to ensure the safety and security of our maritime domain while addressing any threats to our national interests it saidYu added that China claimed indisputable sovereignty over the Spratly Islands known in Chinese as Nansha Islands including Sabina Shoal and its adjacent waters The Chinese name for Sabina Shoal is Xianbin ReefIn a separate statement he said that the Philippine ship that was turned away from Sabina Shoal entered waters near the disputed Second Thomas Shoal ignoring the Chinese coast guards warnings The Chinese coast guard took control measures against the Philippine ship in accordance with law and regulation he addedSabina Shoal which lies about 140 kilometres west of the Philippines western island province of Palawan has become a new flashpoint in the territorial disputes between China and the PhilippinesThe Philippine coast guard deployed one of its key patrol ships the BRP Teresa Magbanua to Sabina in April after scientists from the Philippines discovered submerged piles of crushed corals in its shallows that sparked suspicions that China may be bracing to build a structure in the atoll The Chinese coast guard later deployed a ship to Sabina which lies near the Philippineoccupied Second Thomas Shoal The spot has been the scene of increasingly alarming confrontations between Chinese and Philippine coast guard ships and their accompanying vessels for the past one yearChina and the Philippines reached an agreement last month to prevent further confrontations when the Philippines transports new batches of sentry forces along with food and other supplies to Manilas territorial outpost in the Second Thomas Shoal which has been closely guarded by Chinese coast guard navy and suspected militia shipsThe Philippine navy transported food and personnel to the Second Thomas Shoal a week after the deal was reached and no incident was reported sparking hope that tensions in the shoal would eventually easeChina has been at odds with many other countries in the AsiaPacific for years over its sweeping maritime claims including almost all of the South China Sea a strategic and resourcerich waterway around which Beijing has drawn a 10dash line on official maps to delineate what it says is its territoryBeijing is in the midst of a massive military expansion and has become increasingly assertive in pursuing its claims giving rise to more frequent direct confrontations primarily with the Philippines though it is also involved in longtime territorial disputes with Vietnam Taiwan Malaysia and BruneiA 2016 arbitration ruling by a United Nations tribunal invalidated Beijings claims in the South China Sea but China did not participate in the proceedings and rejected the rulingWith Associated Press inputs