MANILA, Philippines (AP) — According to Philippine officials, a Chinese coast guard ship and one of its militia vessels engaged in dangerous and illegal actions by bumping into a Philippine coast guard ship and a military-run supply boat on Sunday. These incidents occurred in the disputed Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea. It is unclear if there were any injuries or damage resulting from these encounters, but the United States, a longtime treaty ally of the Philippines, has already condemned the actions. The Philippine government also expressed its strong condemnation and labeled it as a violation of Manila’s sovereignty.
Chinese Embassy officials have not yet responded to the Philippine report.
U.S. Ambassador to Manila, MaryKay Carlson, took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to publicly express her condemnation of the actions. She referred to China by its initials PRC, short for the People’s Republic of China, and used the name “Second Thomas Shoal,” which is the name the Philippines uses for the disputed area. She reiterated the United States’ commitment to standing with its allies in protecting Philippine sovereignty and a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
According to a Philippine government task force, the collisions occurred as two Philippine supply boats, escorted by two Philippine coast guard ships, were en route to deliver supplies to the atoll despite a Chinese blockade that has been ongoing for years.
The task force strongly condemned the actions of the Chinese coast guard and the Chinese maritime militia, citing violations of Philippine sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction. It highlighted that these actions disregarded international regulations, including the United Nations Charter and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which aim to prevent sea collisions. The task force is composed of the country’s defense and foreign affairs departments, the military, the national security council, and the coast guard.
While near-collisions have occurred in the past, this is the first time that Philippine vessels have reported being hit by Chinese ships. In the first incident on Sunday morning, a Chinese coast guard ship collided with the Philippine resupply boat Unaiza May 2 due to dangerous blocking maneuvers. In another incident, a Philippine coast guard ship was bumped by a Chinese maritime militia vessel while lying to the northeast of the Second Thomas Shoal.
Despite the Chinese coast guard blockade, one of the two Philippine navy-manned boats successfully delivered supplies to the small contingent stationed on the active warship, the BRP Sierra Madre.
This recent incident adds to the ongoing territorial disputes in the South China Sea, which involve China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Brunei. These conflicts are considered potential flashpoints and have become a delicate issue in U.S.-China regional rivalry.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has accused the U.S. of “threatening China” by considering the activation of the U.S.-Philippine mutual defense treaty. China has repeatedly warned against U.S. involvement in regional territorial disputes.
In 2016, an arbitration ruling under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea invalidated China’s historical claims to most of the South China Sea. China has rejected this decision and continues to defy it, leading to ongoing tensions in the region.
