Philippines accuses China Coast Guard of firing water cannons and ‘sideswiping’ vessel near Scarborough Shoal

MANILA: On Wednesday (4 December), the Philippines accused the China Coast Guard of firing water cannons and “sideswiping” a Philippine government vessel during a maritime patrol near the disputed Scarborough Shoal, a move that has further intensified tensions in the region.

The incident occurred in the early hours of the morning, as the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) conducted a routine patrol in the vicinity of Bajo de Masinloc, located within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

The objective was to protect Filipino fishermen engaged in fishing activities around the area.

Commodore Jay Tarriela, a spokesperson for the Philippine Coast Guard, shared two videos on social media, which appeared to show a China Coast Guard vessel making contact with the BRP Datu Pagbuaya, a vessel belonging to the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries.

In one video, the crew of the BRP Datu Pagbuaya can be heard shouting “Collision! Collision!” as a Chinese vessel sideswiped their ship, causing distress among the crew.

According to Tarriela, the Philippine vessels were approached by several Chinese Coast Guard ships, including CCG 5303, 3302, 3104, and 3304, along with two People’s Liberation Army Navy vessels (PLAN) with the bow numbers 500 and 571.

At approximately 6:30 AM, the CCG 3302 allegedly fired a water cannon aimed at the vessel’s navigational antennas, even though the BRP Datu Pagbuaya was located 16 nautical miles from Bajo de Masinloc.

Tarriela further described how the Chinese vessel intentionally sideswiped the Filipino ship before launching a second water cannon attack.

“This is a clear act of aggression by the China Coast Guard,” Tarriela stated.

China Defends Its Actions

In response, a statement posted on the Chinese Embassy Manila’s Facebook page insisted that China acted lawfully as Philippine vessels attempted to intrude into the waters surrounding Huangyan Dao (黄岩岛), the Chinese name for Scarborough Shoal.

Liu Dejun, a spokesperson for the CCG, accused four Philippine coast guard and official vessels of attempting to enter China’s territorial waters near Huangyan Dao, approaching Chinese law enforcement patrol ships in a “dangerous manner.”

Escalating tensions between China and Philippines in the South China Sea

The incident highlights the ongoing maritime standoff between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea, particularly over the disputed Scarborough Shoal, which has been a point of contention since 2012.

In that year, China seized control of the shoal, a strategic maritime feature, from the Philippines.

Since then, China has maintained a presence in the area, deploying patrol boats to assert its dominance, despite competing claims from the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations.

Scarborough Shoal lies approximately 240 kilometres west of the Philippines’ main island of Luzon and nearly 900 kilometres from China’s Hainan Island.

Despite an international ruling in 2016 that declared China’s claims to the majority of the South China Sea have no legal basis, Beijing has continued to defy this verdict, further escalating tensions in the region.

The dispute over Scarborough Shoal is part of a broader territorial conflict involving competing claims from China, the Philippines, and other nations over the South China Sea, a vital waterway for international trade and rich in natural resources.

The Philippines maintains that it has exclusive rights to the waters around the shoal, while China claims almost the entire South China Sea, disregarding the sovereignty of other nations.