China and Philippines trade blame after dramatic sea collision

The authorities of China and the Philippines have accused each other of deliberately causing a collision between coast guard vessels in the South China Sea. The collision, which occurred on Saturday near the Sabina Shoal, was the fifth confrontation in disputed waters within a month.

The Philippines Coast Guard spokesperson, Jay Tarriela, showed footage of the Saturday collision at a press conference, stating that the Chinese vessel, unprovoked, "directly and intentionally rammed the Philippine vessel". One of the largest Philippine coast guard cutters was damaged, Tarriela added. Shared on X, the post contains photos and footage:

On the other hand, Chinese Coast Guard spokesperson Liu Dejun stated in a communiqué that the Philippine vessel was in these waters illegally and "deliberately rammed" the Chinese vessel.

"The China Coast Guard will take necessary measures to resolutely thwart any provocative acts of infringement and firmly defend the country's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests," Liu warned.

Tarriela stated that the Philippines would not withdraw its cutter despite harassment, intimidation, and escalatory actions by the Chinese Coast Guard.

The South China Sea is considered one of East Asia's flashpoint areas. China claims almost the entire sea as its territory and disputes with several other countries, including the Philippines, over specific areas.

In 2016, the International Arbitration Tribunal ruled that China's claims have no basis in international law, but Beijing rejected this decision.

The Sabina Shoal, which the Chinese call Xianbin, lies about 120 kilometres from the Philippine island of Palawan. Manila has accused Beijing of attempting to create an artificial island there, destroying coral reefs in the process. The Chinese authorities deny this.