China fires water cannon at PH ships in Scarborough Shoal, heightening South China Sea tensions

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on Thursday, July 23, that Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessels used water cannons and "dangerous maneuvers" against Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) ships during a mission to Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) in the West Philippine Sea. The Philippines reported no injuries or damage from the incident – the latest tense encounter between Manila and Beijing in the maritime and political spaces. In a release to media, the PCG said a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel began sailing close to the BFAR’s BRP Datu Dumangsil just before 6 am on Thursday. Around the same time, another CCG vessel used dangerous maneuvers on another BFAR ship, the BRP Datu Paiburong. Some 30 minutes later, the same CCG ship used water cannons against the Datu Dumangsil, although it was not hit. The PCG said both ships, deployed to bring fuel subsidies to Filipino fisherfolk, were able to complete their mission. While the BFAR is under the Agriculture Department, many BFAR ships are crewed by the PCG. Both PCG and BFAR vessels regularly patrol Philippine maritime spaces, including parts of the South China Sea that’s within the country’s exclusive economic zone. Manila calls this area the West Philippine Sea. Intrusion? China said earlier on Thursday that it tracked and drove away two Philippine vessels it accused of having "intruded into" waters near Bajo de Masinloc despite warnings, the week’s second incident in the South China Sea to involve both nations. A flashpoint that is one of Asia’s most contested maritime ⁠sites, Scarborough ​Shoal is claimed by both ​the Philippines and China, which the Philippines calls Bajo de Masinloc and China, “Huangyan Dao.” "We urge the Philippines to immediately cease its infringing and provocative actions,” China’s Coast Guard said in a statement, while reaffirming sovereignty over the disputed shoal. The CCG took necessary measures, such as tracking, monitoring, and interception to drive away the Philippine vessels, it added, calling the actions “standard, professional and lawful.” The remarks came after protests by both sides this week following a clash between Beijing and Manila in the Second Thomas (Ayungin) Shoal, another feature in the busy waterway of South China Sea. On the sidelines of a meeting of regional grouping ASEAN on Wednesday, the foreign ministers of both nations exchanged protests over the prior South China Sea encounter. China’s Wang Yi warned Manila of “bitter consequences of its own making” if it sought to provoke Beijing with the support of outside powers. Must Read Philippines raises Ayungin incident, racist ‘monkey’ video in meeting with China’s Wang Yi Bajo de Masinloc is a high-tide elevation just over 100 nautical miles from the Philippines. While it’s within the Philippines’ EEZ, its sovereignty is still disputed. Access to the shoal has been under Chinese control since 2012, following a tense standoff between the Philippines and China. The 2016 Arbitral Award, a landmark ruling that deemed Beijing’s sweeping South China Sea claims invalid, did not comment on who has sovereingty over the shoal but determined it the traditional fishing ground of Filipino, Chinese, and Vietnamese fisherfolk. That means Beijing out to allow artisinal fishing by Filipinos. The incident is only the latest in a string of confrontations between Manila and Beijing politically, in the information space, and in maritime areas. On July 20, CCG personnel entered Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal, where the BRP Sierra Madre serves as an outpost for the Philippine military. China’s incursion resulted in a confrontation that left one Filipino soldier with a head wound. – With reports from Reuters/Rappler.com