Philippines says eight sailors hurt in skirmish with Chinese coast guard
At least eight Filipino naval personnel were injured this week in a confrontation with the Chinese coast guard while delivering supplies to a military outpost on the disputed Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, the Philippines foreign ministry said on Wednesday.
The ministry denounced the incident, in which one Filipino lost their thumb, as “illegal and aggressive” and said “dialogue and consultation” could not be achieved if “China’s words do not match their actions on the waters”.
The supply mission involved two rubber boats of the Philippine navy which were blocked by Chinese coast guard speedboats, leading to a scuffle and collisions on 17 June.
Five of the injured were rescued by a Philippine coast guard patrol ship supporting the supply mission.
The Chinese coast guard damaged, emptied, and abandoned the rubber supply boats after towing them away, the Philippines foreign ministry said.
“In line with the Philippines’ commitment to pursue peace, the department has been exerting efforts to rebuild a conducive environment for dialogue and consultation with China on the South China Sea,” the ministry said in a statement.
The Chinese coast guard accused the Philippine Navy of sparking the confrontation by sailing one of their boats dangerously close to a Chinese vessel. China’s foreign ministry described their coast guard’s actions as “professional and lawful”, asserting that the Philippine vessels were delivering construction material to the disputed shoal.
The Philippine vessel “ignored China’s repeated solemn warnings”, the ministry said, “and dangerously approached a Chinese vessel in normal navigation in an unprofessional manner, resulting in a collision”.
The Second Thomas Shoal has long been a point of contention in the South China Sea, with both China and the Philippines laying claim to it. In 1999, the Philippines deliberately grounded a vessel, BRP Sierra Madre, on the shoal and converted it into a military outpost.
A new Chinese law authorises its coast guard to seize and detain any foreign ships and crews that sail into its claimed territorial waters, further escalating tensions.
The Philippines earlier this month denounced China’s “barbaric and inhumane” attempt to block a medical evacuation mission in the South China Sea.
Its coast guard alleged that “despite informing the Chinese Coast Guard via radio and public address system about the humanitarian nature of our mission for medical evacuation they still engaged in dangerous manoeuvres and even intentionally rammed” a vessel “transporting the sick personnel”.
The coast guard eventually managed to evacuate the sick soldier to nearby Palawan.
China and the Philippines have previously said they would seek better communication and management of skirmishes in the vast South China Sea, but tensions have escalated of late as Manila has firmed up military ties with the United States.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has declared that a Filipino casualty in the disputed waters could activate Manila’s Mutual Defense Treaty with the US.
