A Philippine supply boat sails alongside a Chinese warship in the South China Sea (Reuters)
The Philippine Coast Guard announced that one of its ships was damaged after it collided with another belonging to the Chinese Coast Guard while on a supply mission in the South China Sea.
There were conflicting reports regarding responsibility for the accident between the two parties. A brigadier general in the Philippine Coast Guard stated that a Chinese Coast Guard ship accompanied by a group of ships carried out “dangerous maneuvers and “obstruction” that resulted in a collision that led to “slight damage to the hull of the Philippine Coast Guard ship.”
He pointed out that the BRP Sindangan ship and another ship were deployed to "support the rotation and resupply operation of the Armed Forces of the Philippines" in the region.
On the other hand, the Chinese Coast Guard announced in a statement that it had “taken control measures” against what it described as an “illegal incursion” by Philippine ships into a disputed part of the South China Sea.
"On March 5, the Chinese Coast Guard took control measures in accordance with the law against the illegal infiltration of Filipino ships into the waters adjacent to the Renai Jiao Reef in China's Nansha Islands," the statement said.
This is the second incident of its kind since last December, when Chinese ships used water cannons against Philippine military boats.
Source: French