Manila: Chinese Coast Guard Fires Water Cannon at Philippine Government Ship

Manila announced that Chinese Coast Guard vessels attacked a Philippine government ship with a water cannon today (Wednesday) during a maritime patrol near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea.

Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Jay Tarriela stated in a press release that a Chinese patrol vessel “fired a water cannon at the (BRP Dato Pagbuwya) ship, directly targeting its navigation antennas,” as reported by AFP.

He added that the Chinese patrol vessel then approached the Philippine ship and “deliberately collided with it sideways,” before attacking it again with a water cannon.

Chinese Coast Guard forces quickly responded to Manila’s accusations, blaming their Philippine counterparts for the incident.

A spokesperson for the Chinese Coast Guard stated that “Philippine Coast Guard ships dangerously approached Chinese law enforcement patrol vessels,” and explained that the Philippine vessel “made a wide turn, reversed direction, and intentionally collided” with the Chinese ship. The statement accused Manila of “deliberately distorting the truth and making false accusations” to “mislead” international understanding of the facts.

The statement further emphasized that “China exercised control over them according to the law.”

Last week, the Chinese military announced that it had sent a “patrol” to the vicinity of Scarborough Island in the South China Sea, which the Philippines claims sovereignty over, justifying this action to “strongly defend national sovereignty and security” in response to repeated bilateral tensions.

China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, including waters and islands near the coasts of several neighboring countries (the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, and Malaysia), disregarding an international court ruling in 2016 which found no legal basis for these claims.

Tensions between China and the Philippines have reached unprecedented levels in recent months.

This confrontation raises concerns of a potential conflict that could lead to U.S. intervention due to a mutual defense treaty signed with Manila in 1951.