Chinese Coast Guard Ships Fire Water Cannons, Block Philippine Fishing Vessel in Disputed Sea

BEIJING – Chinese coast guard vessels fired water cannons and blocked and rammed a Philippine fishing vessel on Sunday in the disputed South China Sea, where hostilities between the Asian neighbors have flared alarmingly at sea and spilled into the air in recent weeks.

China and the Philippines have accused each other of responsibility for tense clashes on the high seas off Sabina Shoal, which has become a new flashpoint, with both countries deploying coast guard vessels amid suspicions they are taking steps to seize the uninhabited atoll.

The Chinese coast guard said it took action against a Philippine vessel that entered waters near Sabina and ignored warnings, resulting in a minor collision.

Chinese Coast Guard spokesman Gan Yu said the Philippine ship sailed toward the Chinese Coast Guard vessel in an “unprofessional” and “dangerous” manner, causing the two vessels to come into contact. The Philippine ship had journalists on board who were taking photos to “distort the facts,” he said.

“The responsibility lies entirely with the Philippines. We strongly warn the Philippine side that it must immediately stop its violations and provocations, otherwise it will bear all the consequences,” Gan said, without elaborating on the control measures employed by the Chinese side.

A Philippine government task force said a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessel, the BRP Datu Sanday, “encountered aggressive and dangerous maneuvers by eight maritime vessels of the People’s Republic of China” while sailing toward Sabina, causing its engine to fail and hampering its efforts to deliver diesel, food and medical supplies to Filipino fishermen.

Chinese coast guard vessels, supported by a navy ship, “conducted close and dangerous maneuvers that resulted in ramming, honking and deploying water cannons against the BFAR vessel,” endangering its crew, according to the Philippine task force, which oversees territorial disputes.

“The Philippine government calls on the People's Republic of China to stop these provocative actions that destabilize regional peace and security,” the working group said, adding that the Philippines would continue to assert its rights.

The United States has expressed support for the Philippines, its oldest ally in Asia. U.S. Ambassador MaryKay Carlson said in a statement released on X that China's actions were “dangerous, illegal and aggressive” and “disrupt a lawful mission of the Philippines, endangering lives – the latest in a series of dangerous actions.”

China is rapidly expanding its military and increasingly asserting territorial claims in the South China Sea, almost all of which Beijing claims. The tensions have led to more frequent confrontations, primarily with the Philippines, although long-running territorial disputes also involve other claimants, including Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.

The latest incident came days after Chinese and Philippine coast guard vessels collided near the disputed Sabina Shoal, which Beijing calls Xianbin, and Manila Escoda. Two Philippine vessels were damaged in Monday's collision, but no injuries were reported.

Sabina Shoal is located approximately 140 kilometers (85 miles) west of the Philippine province of Palawan, within the internationally recognized Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone.

Sabina is near the Second Thomas Shoal, another flashpoint where China has obstructed the resupply of Philippine forces aboard a long-stranded navy ship. Last month, China and the Philippines reached an agreement to prevent increasingly hostile confrontations at the Second Thomas Shoal.