China and Philippines Trade Blame for Latest Flareup in South China Sea

China and Philippine coast guard vessels clashed again in the South China Sea, marking the latest flareup in the disputed waters and undermining a temporary deal to avoid conflict.

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The incident occurred early Monday when two vessels from the Philippine Coast Guard “illegally” attempted to enter waters around Xianbin Reef, the Chinese Coast Guard said in a flurry of four statements released on its WeChat account. 

A Philippine national security official said two of its ships were damaged from the collision. The reef is also known as the Sabina Shoal.

Chinese coast guard said at around 3:23 a.m., a Philippine ship ignored multiple warnings and “deliberately” collided with a Chinese vessel in “an unprofessional, dangerous manner.” It released two videos showing the encounter.

The two Philippine ships later attempted to enter waters around the Ren’ai Reef, also known as Second Thomas Shoal, according to the Chinese coast guard. Beijing took “control measures” against them, it added, without providing details.

The Philippines has violated the interim arrangement between the two countries by “repeatedly provoking a fight,” said Gan Yu, a spokesperson for the Chinese coast guard. “We would like to sternly warn the Philippine side to cease its infringement and provocation immediately.”

Meanwhile, the Philippines said it encountered “unlawful and aggressive maneuvers from Chinese coast guard vessels.” This resulted in “collision causing structural damage” to both Philippine coast guard vessels, National Security Council Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya said during a forum streamed on YouTube.

The incident created a hole on the deck of one of the boats, Malaya said. Manila’s coast guard “stands firm in its responsibility to ensure the safety and security of our maritime domain while addressing any threats to our national interests,” he added.

Ships from both nations have increasingly clashed in the South China Sea over the past year as Manila, under Marcos, pushed back against Beijing’s expansive claims over the resource-rich waterway. The last collision happened in June, when Philippine ships conducted a resupply mission to its military outpost in Second Thomas Shoal, Manila had said.

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Earlier this month, the Philippines filed a diplomatic protest against China after Manila said two Chinese air force aircraft made “dangerous” maneuvers and dropped flares in the path of a Philippine Air Force plane patrolling over Scarborough Shoal in the contested waters.