New incident between Chinese and Philippine ships in the South China Sea

A collision took place on Monday between a Philippine ship and a Chinese boat near the Spratly Islands, in the South China Sea, when incidents are increasing between the two countries in the area claimed by Beijing.

The two countries blamed each other for the incident.

“The Philippine supply ship ignored numerous warnings from the Chinese side ” and “approached the Chinese vessel (..) in an unprofessional manner, causing a collision,” the coast guard said in a statement.

Beijing accused the boat of having “illegally entered the waters near the Ren'ai Reef”, the Chinese name for the Second Thomas Atoll located in the Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands for Beijing).

“The Chinese Coast Guard took control measures against the Philippine ship in accordance with law,” the statement added.

The Philippine army rejected Beijing's version on Monday, declaring that it gave “no credence to the misleading and deceptive assertions of the Chinese coast guard”.

< p>The atoll is located about 200 kilometers from the Philippine archipelago of Palawan, and more than 1,000 kilometers from the nearest Chinese coast, the island of Hainan.

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Earlier this month, the Philippine military denounced the illegal “seizure” by Chinese ships of food and medicine dropped by plane in mid-May, destined for the Philippine military outpost on the same atoll, and accused Beijing of “aggressive and unprovoked interference.”

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The South China Sea © AFP – Valentin RAKOVSKY, Sophie RAMIS

A few days later, the Philippine Coast Guard released a video showing its Chinese counterparts blocking and ramming two Philippine ships that were medically evacuating a serviceman.

Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, including waters and islands near the coasts of several of its neighbors, despite an international court ruling in 2016.

The Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam also claim several reefs and islets in the sea, some of which may contain rich oil reserves.

On Second Thomas Atoll, part of the Spratly Islands, Philippine troops have stationed a garrison on a stranded Philippine navy ship to defend their claims in the area. zone.

Beijing is deploying coast guards and other vessels to patrol the South China Sea and has turned reefs into military positions.

The Philippines on Saturday asked the United Nations to recognize its sovereign rights over a continental shelf off its coast in the South China Sea.

On the same day, China unveiled a series of rules allowing its coast guard to now detain, without trial, foreigners “suspected of violating border entry and exit management.”

A detention period of up to 60 days is provided for “complicated cases” and “if the nationality and identity (of the detainees) are unclear,” according to the new regulations posted online by Beijing and entered effective Saturday.

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