This photo provided by the Philippine Coast Guard shows damage to its vessel BRP Teresa Magbanua after it was hit by a Chinese coast guard vessel with bow number 5205 near Sabina Shoal in the disputed South China Sea on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. | Photo credit: AP
Beijing insisted on Monday (September 2, 2024) that it was defending its “rights” in the South China Sea after the Philippines released footage showing a Chinese coast guard ship colliding with one of its vessels during a confrontation at sea.
The two countries on Saturday (August 31, 2024) accused each other of deliberately ramming their coast guard ships near a flashpoint shoal in the South China Sea, the latest in a series of similar incidents in recent weeks.
The incident occurred near the disputed Sabina Shoal, located 140km west of the Philippine island of Palawan and about 1,200km from Hainan Island, the nearest major Chinese landmass.
Footage released by the Philippine coast guard showed the Chinese vessel approaching the ship from behind and colliding with it.
Another clip also appears to show that the collision was intentional.
Asked about the footage on Monday (September 2, 2024), Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning reiterated Beijing’s claim that the Philippines had “intentionally rammed” the Chinese ship.
“The root cause of the current situation, or the current deterioration of the situation, is that the Philippines sent coast guard ships to stay in the lagoon of Jianbin Reef for a long time and tried to occupy it permanently,” Mao said, using the Chinese name for the shallow water area.
“China’s action on Jianbin Reef is a rights-protection action to safeguard China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, which is legal and transparent,” he said.
Beijing claims almost the entire economically important South China Sea, despite competing claims from other countries and an international court ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.
Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriella said Saturday’s collision was the fifth incident of Chinese maritime harassment in August.