Chinese, Philippine ships collide in South China Sea

Chinese and Philippine ships collided on Monday during a confrontation near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, Chinese state media said.

The Second Thomas Shoal has been the site of repeated altercations between Beijing and Manila.

What did China say about the collision?

Beijing accused one of the Philippine vessels of "deliberately" colliding with a Chinese ship.

"Despite multiple warnings from the Chinese side, the Philippine vessel 4410 deliberately collided with China's 21551 vessel," state broadcaster CCTV said, citing Chinese coast guard spokesperson Geng Yu.

"Philippine Coast Guard vessels... illegally entered the waters near the Xianbin Reef in the Nansha Islands without permission from the Chinese government," the CCTV report said, using the Chinese names for the Sabina Shoal and the Spratly Islands.China accused the Philippine vessels of acting "in an unprofessional and dangerous manner, resulting in a glancing collision".

China's coast guard said it took control measures against the Philippine ships "in accordance with the law."

It called on the Philippines to "immediately stop infringement and provocation" or "bear all consequences."

How did the Philippines respond?

The Philippine government meanwhile said that two of its ships were damaged in the collision, which it blamed on  "unlawful and aggressive manoeuvres" by China.

"These dangerous manoeuvres resulted in collisions, causing structural damage to both PCG (Philippine Coast Guard) vessels," said Jonathan Malaya, a spokesperson for the national security council and Manila's South China Sea task force.

Manila said that the two coast guard vessels, Cape Engano and Bagacay, were on their way to resupply personnel stationed on Flat Island.

Cape Engano collided with a Chinese coast guard ship around 3:24 a.m. local time on Monday (1924 UTC on Sunday), according to the Philippines.

Manila said that Bagacay was "rammed twice' by a Chinese coast guard vessel roughly 16 minutes later.

What is the South China Sea dispute?

China claims almost all of the South China Sea, including the Second Thomas Shoal. Several Southeast Asian states have made conflicting and sometimes overlapping claims in the South China Sea.

Beijing rejected a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that said that China's claims did not have any basis under international law.

In July, China and the Philippines reached a "provisional arrangement" aimed at ending maritime confrontations near the Second Thomas Shoal, allowing Manila to resupply the atoll.

The Philippines deliberately ran aground the Sierra Madre ship on the Second Tomas Shoal in 1999 in order to assert Manila's sovereignty over the area. Filipino troops are stationed on the shipwreck and require regular resupply.

Earlier this month, the Philippines held joint naval exercizes with the United States, Canada and Australia in the South China Sea. Days later, the Philippines held its first ever joint drills with Vietnam despite the two countries' conflicting claims over the Spratly Islands.

sdi/msh (Reuters, AFP, AP)