MANILA - The Philippine fisheries bureau said the lives of a civilian crew were put at risk when the Chinese Coast Guard fired water cannons and sideswiped one of its vessels while it conducted marine research around a disputed reef in the South China Sea.
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources condemned what it said was the “aggressive interference” of the Chinese Coast Guard against the Datu Sanday and a second ship in Wednesday’s incident, saying its vessels had not previously been subjected to water cannon in the area.
The China Coast Guard said it took control measures against the two Philippine vessels that had “illegally intruded” into waters near Subi Reef and Sandy Cay.
One of the vessels also “dangerously” approached and collided with a Chinese coast guard ship, spokesperson Liu Dejun said in Beijing, adding that responsibility “lies entirely” with the Philippine side.
Sandy Cay is close to Thitu Island, the largest and most strategically important of the nine features the Philippines occupies in the Spratly archipelago, where China, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam also have a presence.
Last month, China said its coast guard had landed on Sandy Cay as part of operations to exercise its sovereignty. The Philippines has denied Beijing has seized control of the disputed reef.
China claims sovereignty over nearly all the South China Sea, including areas claimed by Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
A 2016 ruling of an international arbitral tribunal found Beijing’s sweeping claims had no basis under international law, a decision China rejects.