China blames Philippines for ship collision in South Sea

China’s coast guard reported that a Chinese ship and a Philippine supply ship collided on Monday in the South China Sea, close to the disputed Spratly Islands. This is the most recent flare-up of the growing territorial conflicts that have raised concerns.

A Philippine supply ship reportedly sailed into the waters close to Second Thomas Shoal, a submerged reef in the Spratly Islands—a region that is claimed by multiple countries—according to the coast guard.

According to the Philippines, the shoal is located within its officially recognized exclusive economic zone. The country frequently references an international arbitration decision from 2016 that declared China’s broad South China Sea claims to be unfounded on historical grounds.

The Chinese coast guard said the Philippine craft “ignored China’s repeated solemn warnings … and dangerously approached a Chinese vessel in normal navigation in an unprofessional manner, resulting in a collision.”

Meanwhile, the Philippine military called the Chinese coast guard’s report “deceptive and misleading,” and said it would “not discuss operational details on the legal humanitarian rotation and resupply mission at Ayungin Shoal, which is well within our exclusive economic zone.”

Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said his country’s armed forces would resist “China’s dangerous and reckless behavior,” which “contravenes their statements of good faith and decency.”

Two speedboats – attempting to deliver construction materials and other supplies to a military vessel stationed at the shoal – accompanied the supply ship, according to China’s Foreign Ministry, which described its coast guard’s maneuver as “professional, restrained, reasonable and lawful.”

Several incidents have happened in recent months near the shoal which lies less than 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) from The Philippines coast and where it maintains an outpost aboard the BRP Sierra Madre, which had been encrusted with rust since it was deliberately grounded in 1999 but remains an actively commissioned military vessel, meaning an attack on it could be considered by the Philippines as an act of war.

China has increasingly become assertive in pressing its claim to virtually the entire South China Sea, which has led to a rising number of direct conflicts with other countries in the region, most notably the Philippines and Vietnam.

A new law by China, which took effect Saturday, authorizes its coast guard to seize foreign ships “that illegally enter China’s territorial waters” and to detain foreign crews for up to 60 days.