Ships collided and water cannons allegedly caused damage and injuries during a skirmish between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the disputed South China Sea on Tuesday. The Philippine Coast Guard said that two Chinese ships used water cannons while pursuing the BRP Datu Gumbay Piang, a fisheries vessel, as it delivered food to Filipino fisherman near the Scarborough Shoal, a triangular set of rocks and reefs that both countries claim. “This aggressive action lasted for about 29 minutes, resulting in significant damage, including shattered glass from the aft window of…
Tag: South China Sea
US warships patrol South China Sea after two Chinese ships collide
The US has briefly deployed two warships in a disputed South China Sea shoal where two Chinese ships collided earlier in the week while trying to drive away a smaller Philippine ship in a high-seas accident that raised alarms about maritime safety. Both China and the Philippines claim Scarborough Shoal and other outcroppings in the South China Sea. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also lay overlapping claims in the contested waters. The USS Higgins, a guided missile destroyer, and USS Cincinnati, a littoral combat ship, were shadowed by a Chinese…
Chinese warship crashes into own coast guard vessel while chasing Philippines boat in South China Sea
A Chinese warship collided with a vessel from its own coast guard while chasing a Philippine patrol boat in the South China Sea on Monday, Manila said, releasing dramatic video footage of the confrontation. The incident occurred near the contested Scarborough Shoal as the Philippine Coast Guard escorted vessels distributing aid to fishers in the area, said coast guard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela in a statement. Video released by Manila showed a China Coast Guard ship and a much larger vessel bearing the number 164 on its hull colliding with…
Chinese warship and coast guard vessels collide in South China Sea – video
Two Chinese vessels have collided with each other while chasing a ship from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in disputed waters in the South China Sea. ‘A collision took place between China Coast Guard vessel 3104 and People’s Liberation Army Navy ship 164,’ the PCG said in a statement. The collision occurred near the disputed Scarborough Shoal. The Guardian
Chinese ship conducts survey off Vietnam but Hanoi’s state media stays silent
A Chinese survey ship has been repeatedly circling within Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea since mid-June, raising concerns of a potential maritime standoff. The vessel, named Bei Dao 996, was first tracked by SeaLight, which uses commercially available technology to monitor and expose so-called “gray zone” activities — meaning coercive activities at sea that stop short of triggering a military response. China is often accused of adopting such tactics to assert its sweeping claims over the disputed waters in the South and East China Seas.…
Vietnam enters fray at disputed South China Sea sandbank
TAIPEI, Taiwan – Vietnam protested China and the Philippines over their competing activities at Sandy Cay in the disputed South China Sea, highlighting the country’s increasingly assertive voice in regional maritime disputes. China and the Philippines last week staged rival flag-raising displays on Sandy Cay, a key site for Manila to monitor Chinese activity in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. Hanoi, which also considers the sandbank part of its territory, said on Saturday that it had sent diplomatic notes to both China and the Philippines protesting their recent activities at…
China, Philippines raise rival flags on disputed South China Sea sandbank
TAIPEI, Taiwan – China and the Philippines have staged rival flag-raising displays on a contested sandbank in the South China Sea, further escalating tensions between the two nations. The standoff occurred at Sandy Cay, near the Philippines’ outpost of Thitu Island, right when the U.S. and the Philippines launched their annual “Balikatan” military drills, which for the first time include an integrated air and missile defense simulation. Sandy Cay holds strategic value because its 12-nautical-mile territorial zone under international law overlaps with the area around Thitu Island, a key site…
China and Philippines display competing flags on disputed South China Sea sandbank
China and the Philippines have displayed their national flags in competing photo opportunities on a disputed sandbank in the South China sea, ratcheting up longstanding regional tensions between the two countries. The dispute played out at Sandy Cay, which is part of the disputed Spratly Islands, and comes days after the US and the Philippines launched their annual joint military drills called “Balikatan”, or “shoulder to shoulder”, which this year will include an integrated air and missile defence simulation for the first time. The latest confrontation appears to have begun…
China, ASEAN ‘committed’ to having legally binding sea code by 2026: Manila
TAIPEI, Taiwan – China and Southeast Asian nations are “politically committed” to establishing legally binding rules for their conduct in the South China Sea by next year, the Philippines’ foreign affairs secretary said, despite two decades of inconclusive discussions. A code of conduct aims to establish a framework for ensuring peace in the South China Sea where Beijing’s expansive territorial claims overlap with the exclusive economic zones of some Southeast Asian countries including the Philippines and Vietnam. “Everyone has agreed that we would all like to have a code by…
Beijing warns against flexing of ‘gunboat muscles’ as US and Philippines begin military drills
A Chinese military official has warned against countries flexing “gunboat muscles”, as the Philippines and US begin three weeks of unprecedented joint drills in the South China Sea. The annual Balikatan, or “shoulder-to-shoulder” drills, began on Monday and will run until 10 May. For the first time the exercises will be held beyond the Philippines’ territorial waters – 12 nautical miles offshore – and will involve the Philippines coast guard (PCG) in an active role. They will also involve other countries in secondary or observer roles, including Australia and France.…