A China Coast Guard ship manoeuvres past a Philippine fishing boat during last month’s civilian-led mission to distribute fuel and food to Filipino fishers in the disputed section of South China Sea. - AFP
MANILA: China’s Coast Guard said Chinese and Philippine vessels had a collision in waters near the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, but Manila described Beijing’s account as "misleading.”
The Philippine vessel approached the Chinese ship near Second Thomas Shoal and ignored warnings from the Chinese side, according to a China Coast Guard statement posted on WeChat on Monday (June 17). The Chinese Coast Guard took "control measures” in accordance with the law, the statement added.
In response, the Philippine military said in a statement it "will not dignify the deceptive and misleading claims of the China Coast Guard.”
It also said it will not discuss operational details, while calling out China for its "illegal” presence within the Philippine exclusive economic zone.
Manila and Beijing’s vessels have increasingly clashed in the South China Sea as both assert their claims to the resource-rich waters. Over the weekend, the Philippines submitted information before a United Nations commission registering its entitlement to an extended continental shelf in the Western Palawan region in the disputed sea.- Bloomberg
