Philippine boats damaged by China in South China Sea
The Philippine coast guard said Chinese coast guard ships used powerful water cannons and conducted interdiction maneuvers against 20 Philippine fishing boats off a disputed coast in the South China Sea, injuring three Filipinos and damaging two of their boats in a life-threatening attack.
Chinese coast guard personnel in smaller rubber boats later deliberately cut the mooring lines of several Filipino boats off Sabina Shoal on Friday afternoon, “endangering the vessels and their crews amid strong currents and high waves,” the coast guard said.
Chinese officials did not immediately comment on the latest reported flare-up of long-unresolved territorial disputes in the South China Sea, but they vowed to defend the territory they claim at all costs.
The South China Sea, a key global trade route, is claimed almost entirely by China despite a 2016 arbitration ruling that declared Beijing’s expansive claim invalid based on the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
China rejected the decision as fraudulent and continues to oppose it.
Two Philippine coast guard ships were deployed to assist the Filipinos off Sabina, but faced dangerous interdiction maneuvers from the Chinese coast guard.
Philippine coast guard spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela said at a news conference that one of the Chinese ships came within 30 meters of one of the Philippine ships during the night.
“The Chinese coast guard is now targeting ordinary fishermen, ordinary civilians, and they are endangering the lives of Filipino fishermen,” Tarriela said.
“Despite these unprofessional and illegal interventions, the Philippine coast guard successfully reached the fishermen this morning and provided immediate medical attention to the injured along with necessary supplies,” the Philippine coast guard said in a statement on Saturday. he said and claimed that the tension had decreased.
The Philippine coast guard called on the Chinese coast guard to “comply with internationally accepted standards of conduct by prioritizing the protection of marine life over allegations of law enforcement endangering the lives of innocent fishermen.”
The United States has no claims to the South China Sea but has repeatedly warned that it must defend the Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia, if Filipino forces, including coast guard personnel, ships and aircraft, come under armed attack, including in disputed waters.
Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan are also involved in territorial disputes long considered Asia’s flashpoints.
