China and Philippines accuse one another over collisions in disputed South China Sea

240


Hong Kong
CNN
 — 

China and the Philippines on Sunday accused one another of inflicting collisions in a disputed space of the South China Sea, the newest in a string of maritime confrontations between the 2 international locations which have heightened regional tensions.

In an announcement, Philippine authorities mentioned a Chinese language Coast Guard ship carried out “harmful blocking maneuvers” that prompted it to collide with a Philippine vessel carrying provides to troops stationed in Ayungin Shoal, often known as Second Thomas Shoal, within the Spratly Islands chain.

China’s transfer was “provocative, irresponsible and unlawful” and “imperiled the protection of the crew” of the Philippine boats, the Nationwide Job Drive for the West Philippine Sea mentioned.

In a second incident Sunday, the Philippine process pressure mentioned a Chinese language maritime militia vessel collided with a Philippine Coast Guard ship, which was on the identical mission to resupply the BRP Sierra Madre. Manila grounded the navy transport ship on Second Thomas Shoal in 1999 and has manned it with Filipino marines to implement its claims to the realm.

On Monday, Manila summoned China’s ambassador to the Philippines and filed a diplomatic protest in opposition to Beijing.

“China as a serious energy bears a heavier duty of contributing to peace and stability within the area,” mentioned a spokesperson for the Philippine Division of Overseas Affairs.

Beijing claims “indeniable sovereignty” over nearly the entire 1.three million sq. miles of the South China Sea, in addition to many of the islands and sandbars inside it, together with many options which can be lots of of miles away from China’s mainland.

In 2016, a global tribunal in The Hague dominated in favor of the Philippines in a landmark maritime dispute, which concluded that China has no authorized foundation to assert historic rights to the majority of the South China Sea.

Beijing has ignored the ruling.

In an announcement Sunday, the Chinese language Coast Guard accused the Philippines of violating worldwide marine legislation and threatening the navigation security of Chinese language ships.

It accused the primary Philippine ship of trespassing into the waters of what it calls the Nansha islands and Renai Reef, prompting the Chinese language Coast Guard ship to intercept “in accordance with the legislation,” and leading to a “minor collision.”

Within the second incident, the Chinese language Coast Guard mentioned the Philippine Coast Guard vessel “purposely provoked hassle and reversed course,” inflicting a collision with a Chinese language fishing boat.

No accidents have been reported in both collision Sunday, which marks the newest in a sequence of current flashpoints between Beijing and Manila within the disputed waterway.

In September, the Philippine Coast Guard launched video of a Filipino diver reducing a Chinese language-installed floating barrier in a disputed space of the waterway that had prevented Filipino boats from getting into.

It got here simply days after after the Philippine Coast Guard accused China’s maritime militia of turning huge patches of coral close to the Palawan island chain right into a bleached and damaged wasteland.

China’s overseas ministry dismissed these allegations as “false and groundless.”

supply hyperlink