China Coast Guard Vessel Rams Philippine Boat in South China Sea

MANILA — A China Coast Guard vessel rammed a Philippine boat on a refueling mission in the South China Sea on Friday, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said, in the latest confrontation between the two countries in disputed waters. The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessel BRP Datu Magat Salamat was on a mission to distribute fuel to Filipino fishermen about 54 nautical miles off the coast of Palawan province. A China Coast Guard vessel carried out a series of manoeuvres and made contact with the Philippine ship, damaging the supply vessel’s railings and deck structures but causing no injuries, the coast guard said. “The China Coast Guard deliberately rammed a civilian government vessel on a humanitarian and livelihood mission,” it said in a statement. Video released by the PCG showed crew members shouting “brace for impact!” moments before the collision, which took place at 11:13 a.m. (0313 GMT). Photographs taken after the impact showed bent and detached railings, damaged metal supports and debris scattered across the deck. The China Coast Guard said in a statement that it carried out law enforcement operations in the waters near Sabina Shoal on Friday, after the Philippine vessel “disregarded repeated solemn warnings, deliberately altered its course and suddenly accelerated to cut across the bow of our vessel.” It said the Chinese boat had operated professionally and blamed the collision on the Philippine side. “We strongly condemn the China Coast Guard’s deliberate ramming,” said US Ambassador Lee Lipton in a post on the Facebook page of the US Embassy in the Philippines. The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines responded by condemning the US Embassy in the Philippines for backing what it called Philippine infringement and provocations in waters near Sabina Shoal, according to a statement posted by the embassy on X. In July, Manila accused Beijing of firing water cannon ‌at government vessels near the Scarborough Shoal and striking a Philippine Navy staff member on the head with a wooden baton during an encounter in the Second Thomas Shoal. —Reporting by Nestor Corrales; Additional reporting by Liz Lee in Beijing; Editing by David Stanway and Sam Holmes