China ships collide during clash with Philippine vessel at Scarborough Shoal

China’s coastguard said Monday that it took necessary measures to expel Philippine vessels from a contested feature in the South China Sea, while Manila claimed two Chinese vessels collided during the operation, leaving one vessel heavily damaged.

Gan Yu, a Chinese coastguard spokesperson, said in a statement that the Chinese coastguard forced several Philippine coastguard and government vessels away after they “ignored repeated warnings from the Chinese side and insistently intruded into the waterway” near Scarborough Shoal.

The Chinese side said it had taken “necessary” measures including tracking, monitoring, intercepting and blocking, describing them as “professional, standardised, legitimate and legal”.

“Huangyan Island is an inherent part of China’s territory,” Gan said, referring to the Chinese name for the shoal, adding that the coastguard would continue law enforcement activities “to safeguard national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests”.

A Chinese coastguard vessel is pictured on Monday in the South China Sea after an apparent collision with another Chinese ship. Photo: Philippine Coast Guard

In videos posted by the Philippine Coast Guard on Monday morning, a Chinese vessel was seen deploying a water cannon against smaller Philippine ships. The video showed a Chinese coastguard vessel with the hull number 3104 colliding with a larger vessel numbered 164, followed by a loud bang.

South China Morning Post