The Philippines on Friday accused the Chinese coast guard of attacking a Philippine government ship with water cannon near a disputed reef in the South China Sea, marking a third skirmish between the two sides this week.
• Also read: South China Sea: new skirmish between Chinese coast guard and a Philippine ship
• Also read: New Sino-Philippine skirmish in the South China Sea
The clash took place near Scarborough Reef as the ship attempted to resupply Filipino fishermen.
Confrontations had already taken place Monday and Thursday in the South China Sea between Chinese and Filipino sailors, including one near this reef.
This renewed tension between China and the Philippines comes as a meeting of foreign ministers from the eleven countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) ends in Manila.
The Philippine Coast Guard said in a statement Friday that the Chinese vessel carried out a “reckless” maneuver, coming within seven meters of the BRP boat Datu Paduhinog before attacking it with a water cannon.
“The BRP Datu Paduhinog has suffered a temporary loss of satellite connectivity,” their statement said.
Two other ships, the BRP Datu Cabaylo and the BRP Cape San Agustin, were also targeted with water cannons, without being hit, the Philippine Coast Guard said.
Earlier on Friday, China’s coast guard said it had “lawfully imposed control measures on several Philippine vessels engaged in illegal activities in waters under China’s jurisdiction near Huangyan Island.”
Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea despite an international legal ruling deeming these claims unfounded.
The Scarborough Reef, located some 900 km southeast of the Chinese island of Hainan, and some 260 km off the northern Philippines, has been the subject of a dispute between the two countries since China seized it in 2012.
However, Beijing and Manila said this week they were working to reach an agreement by the end of the year on a code of conduct in the South China Sea, a vital maritime area for global trade.
