China again seeks to block, attack Philippines ship

China again seeks to block, attack Philippines ship

Robert Besser
08 Aug 2023, 09:27 GMT+10

• The Philippines has accused China’s coast guard of blocking and firing water-cannons at a Philippine military supply boat in the South China Sea
• The Chinese action has been described by Manila as “excessive and offensive actions” against its vessels
• China’s coast guard said it was just implementing controls in accordance with a law aimed at deterring Filipino ships that trespass and carry illegal building materials

MANILA, Philippines: The Philippines has accused China’s coast guard of blocking and firing water-cannons at a Philippine military supply boat in the South China Sea.

The Chinese action has been described by Manila as “excessive and offensive actions” against its vessels.

In response, China’s coast guard said it was just implementing controls in accordance with a law aimed at deterring Filipino ships that trespass and carry illegal building materials.

China’s claims of sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea are rejected internationally.

Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan and the Philippines have various claims to certain areas of the sea and have condemned Beijing’s maritime actions, such as building islands on reefs and equipping them with missiles and runways.

According to the Armed Forces of the Philippines, a Chinese coast guard vessel earlier blocked and fired a water-cannon at the chartered Philippine boat carrying out a routine troop rotation and resupply mission, “in wanton disregard of the safety of the people on board and in violation of international law.”

The incident occurred near the Second Thomas Shoal, which Manila calls Ayungin Shoal, a submerged reef where a handful of its troops live on a World War Two-era US ship intentionally grounded in 1999, it added.

The Chinese coast guard’s “dangerous maneuvers” prevented a second boat from unloading its supplies and completing the mission, it further said.

In response, China Coast Guard spokesman Gan Yu said on the service’s WeChat social media account that China has “indisputable” sovereignty over the Spratly Islands and their adjacent waters, including the Second Thomas Shoal.

“We urge the Philippine side to immediately stop its infringing activities in these waters,” Gan said.

In 2026, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague concluded that China’s expansive claim to the South China Sea was groundless, but Beijing
stressed it does not accept any claim or action based on the ruling.

After the incident, the US State Department said China’s “repeated threats to the status quo in the South China Sea were directly threatening regional peace and stability,” adding that Washington stands with its Philippine allies in the face of such “dangerous actions.”