A Philippine and Chinese ship collided near the Spratly Islands in the disputed waters of the South China Sea. This was reported by the Beijing coast guard, according to which the Manila supply ship “ignored many warnings”.
The vessel “approached the Chinese vessel in an unprofessional manner, resulting in the collision,” it said in a statement.
Beijing accused the ship of having “illegally entered the sea near Ren’ai Reef in the Nansha Islands”, the Chinese name for the Spratlys. But the coast guard “took enforcement measures against the Philippine vessel in accordance with the law.” The Chinese coast guard reported that a Philippine supply ship entered the waters near Second Thomas, a submerged coral reef in the Spratly Islands which is part of the territory claimed by several nations, ignoring – according to the note posted on official social media – “the repeated warnings from China”. It came “dangerously close to a normally sailing Chinese vessel in an unprofessional manner, resulting in a collision. The Philippines is entirely responsible for this,” the statement said. The Philippines says the shoal, which lies less than 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) from its coast, falls within its internationally recognized exclusive economic zone and frequently cites the 2016 international arbitration ruling that invalidated the expansive claims of Beijing in the South China Sea based on historical reasons. In recent months, several incidents have occurred near the shoal, where the Philippines maintains a position aboard the BRP Sierra Madre ship that ran aground in 1999 to strengthen its claims to the area.
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