MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine government accused Chinese vessels of ramming and using water cannon against its ship Sunday near a disputed reef in the South China Sea.
“The CCG (China Coast Guard) vessels made close perilous maneuvers that resulted in ramming, blasted horns, and deployed water cannons against the BFAR (Philippine fisheries) vessel, eventually leading to the latter’s engine failure,” said a government statement detailing the incident near Sabina Shoal.
China’s coast guard said it took “control measures” after a Philippine vessel entered waters near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, Beijing’s state media said.
“The Philippine vessel 3002 illegally intruded into the waters near Xianbin Reef in the Nansha Islands without permission from the Chinese government,” state broadcaster CCTV said, using the Chinese names for the Sabina Shoal and the Spratly Islands.
The vessel then “continued to dangerously approach a Chinese coast guard vessel conducting normal operations”, CCTV said, adding that the coast guard had “taken control measures against the Philippine vessel in accordance with the law and regulations.”
The Philippines a day earlier accused China of firing flares at one of its aircraft as it patrolled over the South China Sea.
And on Monday, both countries said their coast guard ships had collided near the disputed Sabina Shoal, located 140 kilometers (86 miles) west of the Philippine island of Palawan and about 1,200 kilometers from Hainan island, the closest Chinese landmass.
