Philippines says Chinese coast guard assaulted its vessels with water cannons for a second day
The Chinese coast guard assaulted Philippine vessels with water cannon blasts and rammed one of them, just a day after similar hostilities at another contested shoal, Philippine officials said.
The Philippines and its treaty ally, the United States, immediately condemned the latest confrontation.
"We condemn, once again, China’s latest unprovoked acts of coercion and dangerous maneuvers against a legitimate and routine Philippine rotation and resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal that has put the lives of our people at risk,” a Philippine government task force that deals with the territorial disputes said in a statement, using the Filipino name for the shoal.
“The systematic and consistent manner in which the People’s Republic of China carries out these illegal and irresponsible actions puts into question and significant doubt the sincerity of its calls for peaceful dialogue,” it said.
“We demand that China demonstrate that it is a responsible and trustworthy member of the international community.”
US Ambassador to Manila MaryKay Carlson said her country “stands with the Philippines and partners in vehemently condemning the PRC’s repeated illegal and dangerous actions against Philippine vessels.” She referred to the acronym of China’s formal name.
"(Chinese) aggression undermines regional stability in defiance of a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Carlson added.
The Chinese coast guard said it had “implemented controls in accordance with laws and regulations” on Sunday against two Philippine coast guard vessels, including one official ship and one supply ship that were attempting to transport construction materials to the Second Thomas Shoal.
The statement gave no details about the measures taken but said the Philippines action “seriously infringed on China’s sovereignty.”
It also claimed a Philippine vessel ignored warnings and in violation of international navigation regulations made a sharp turn in an “unprofessional and dangerous manner” and intentionally collided with a Chinese coast guard ship, causing “scratching."
“The responsibility lies entirely with the Philippine side,” the coast guard said.
China's ships, which have surrounded the Philippine-occupied Second Thomas Shoal for years, have blocked Philippine coast guard and supply boats in a years long effort to take control of the hotly disputed atoll claimed by both nations.
The hostilities, which have grown increasingly heated this year, have stoked fears of an armed conflict that could involve the United States, which has vowed to defend the Philippines, its treaty ally, if Filipino forces come under an armed attack.
The Chinese coast guard’s high-pressure water cannon blasts disabled and severely damaged the engines of the Philippine supply boat M/L Kalayaan, which had to be towed back to the western Philippine province of Palawan, Philippine officials said, adding the assault seriously endangered the lives of the crew.
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