Philippines says China’s coast guard blasts water cannon and sideswipes patrol vessel

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Chinese coast guard vessels, backed by navy ships, fired powerful water cannons and blocked and sideswiped a Philippine patrol vessel Wednesday in renewed aggression in a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, Philippine officials said.

Three Philippine coast guard and bureau of fisheries vessels were on routine patrol to protect Filipino fishermen at the Scarborough Shoal when several Chinese coast guard and navy ships approached and staged “aggressive actions” after dawn, the Philippine coast guard said.

There was no immediate comment from Chinese officials. In the past, they have repeatedly cited China’s sovereignty in the contested offshore region and their determination to defend what they say is their territory despite a 2016 international arbitration decision that invalidated Beijing’s historical claims.

China’s reported actions in the disputed waters came after a respite of more than a month while back-to-back major storms prevented many Philippine fishing and commercial vessels from venturing into the dangerously rough seas.

Despite the Chinese ships’ “reckless” maneuvers, the Philippines coast guard and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resource renewed their “commitment to protecting the rights and safety of our fishermen within our maritime jurisdiction.”

“We will continue to be vigilant in safeguarding our national interests in the West Philippine Sea, the two Philippine law enforcement agencies said, using the Philippine name for the seas off the archipelago’s western coast.

China’s sweeping claims virtually cover the entire waterway and overlap with the territorial waters, exclusive economic zones and high seas claims of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan. Indonesia has also had confrontations with the Chinese coast guard, which backs Beijing’s fishing fleets.

One of the Philippine vessels, BRP Datu Pagbuaya, was hit Wednesday by high-pressure water fired from a Chinese coast guard ship with bow number 3302 which targeted its navigational antennas about 16 nautical miles (30 kilometers) south of Scarborough, Manila’s coast guard said.

Shortly after, the Chinese coast guard ship “intentionally sideswiped the BRP Datu Pagbuaya on its starboard side” then “launched a second water cannon attack on the same vessel,” the Philippine coast guard said.

Philippine coast guard ship BRP Teresa Magbanua “faced blocking, shadowing and dangerous maneuvers” by two Chinese navy and coast guard ships. Another Philippine coast guard ship, the BRP Cabra, “was subjected to reckless maneuvers” by a Chinese coast guard ship at a distance of about 300 yards (274 meters), according to Philippine coast guard officials.

The long-simmering territorial disputes are an Asian flashpoint and are a delicate fault line in the U.S.-China rivalry in the region. The U.S. lays no claims in the waters that are a key global trade route but has declared that freedom of navigation and overflight and the peaceful resolution of the conflicts were in its core national interest.

The U.S. has warned that it’s obligated to defend its treaty ally the Philippines if Filipino forces come under attack in the South China Sea.

Jim Gomez, The Associated Press