Chinese vessel engaged in ‘aggressive’ actions against PHL vessel, PCG says

THE Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Thursday said a Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) ship had fired water cannons at a fisheries bureau vessel conducting a resupply mission for Filipino fishermen in the vicinity of Scarborough Shoal.

The incident comes days after the reported harassment of Filipino fishermen by a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy helicopter in a different South China Sea feature.

In a joint statement, the PCG and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said CCG vessel 3302 fired a water cannon at the BRP Datu Pagbuaya, “aiming directly at the vessel’s navigational antennas” while it was located 16 nautical miles south of Scarborough Shoal.

The Chinese vessel intentionally sideswiped the 30-meter BFAR ship BRP Datu Pagbuaya on its starboard side and launched a second water cannon attack shortly after, the Philippine side added.

The PCG said CCG vessels 5303, 3302, 3104, and 3304 and two PLA Navy ships with bow numbers 500 and 571 were involved in “aggressive” actions against Philippine vessels during the resupply mission.

The BRP Teresa Magbanua, the PCG’s largest and most modern vessel, and other Philippine ships faced “blocking, shadowing, and dangerous maneuvers” from PLA Navy vessel 500 and CCG 503.

“Additionally, BRP Cabra was subjected to reckless maneuvers by CCG 3104 at a distance of 300 yards,” it added.

A 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea said Scarborough Shoal, which Beijing has effectively controlled since 2012, is a traditional fishing ground for Filipino, Chinese, and Vietnamese fishermen.

Citing the CCG, the Chinese embassy in Manila accused the Philippine side of attempting “to intrude into the territorial waters of Huangyan island.” Huangyan is the Chinese name for Scarborough.

It said four Philippine vessels also “dangerously approached the normal law enforcement patrol ships” of the CCG.

“China has exercised control over them in accordance with the law.”

In a statement, the Philippines’ National Maritime Council reiterated that Scarborough, which it calls Bajo de Masinloc, is an “integral part of the Philippine national territory.”

Manila has an “indisputable sovereignty over it and its territorial sea,” it added.

“These maritime zones are in accordance with United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the 2016 Arbitral Award, and the Philippine Maritime Zones Act,” the council said.

“Hence, the Philippines is well within its rights to conduct routine maritime activities in the area, including maritime patrols and humanitarian activities that support the economic activities of Filipino fishers.”

On Monday, the PCG said it had deployed two vessels to Rozul Reef in response to fishermen’s report that they were harassed by a Chinese Navy helicopter.

The deployment “aims to provide evidence of the active presence of Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea,” its spokesman for the West Philippine Sea Jay Tristan Tarriela said in a statement.

The maritime council said the aggressive posture of the Chinese vessels on Wednesday “highlights a continuing pattern of aggression, coercion and intimidation within Philippine waters.”

“These actions against our vessels are clear violations of international law and an affront to the mutual respect that is expected between countries.” 

The United States condemned on Wednesday China’s “unlawful use of water cannons and dangerous maneuvers” in the South China Sea, its top envoy to Manila said on Wednesday.

China’s actions disrupted Philippine maritime operations and put lives at risk, Ambassador MaryKay Carlson said on social media platform X, adding that the US stands with likeminded allies in support of a free and open Pacific. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza with Reuters