Post by account_disabled on Feb 20, 2024 1:11:40 GMT -5
A Philippine ship and a Chinese coast guard collided on Sunday near a disputed reef and the two countries accused each other of this new confrontation in the South China Sea. The incident occurred during a resupply mission for the Philippine ship near the Ayungin sandbar in the Spratly Islands. a focus of conflict between Manila and Beijing. The previous day, the Philippines had accused the Chinese coast guard of using water cannon to prevent three official ships from delivering supplies to Filipino fishermen near Scarborough Atoll, adjacent to the main island of Luzon. Beijing claims almost all of these waters, an essential artery of global trade, in dispute with the claims of other coastal countries such as the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei. To reinforce its claims, it deploys patrols there and has built artificial islands that it has militarized.
The complaint This Sunday, the Philippines reported Mexico Mobile Number List that Chinese coast guard vessels "harassed, blocked and carried out dangerous maneuvers against Philippine civilian supply vessels." One of two ships carrying supplies. She was “rammed” by a Chinese coast guard ship, the special unit for the West Philippine Sea reported in a statement. In addition, a Chinese ship also used water cannon against the two supply ships and a Philippine coast guard ship escorting the mission, the same source added. This caused "serious damage" to the engine of one of the boats. and damaged the coast guard boat's mast, he said. Instead, the Chinese coast guard accused the Philippine ship of "deliberately colliding" with the Chinese ship after "ignoring multiple firm warnings.
An aerial view taken on March 9, shows a cargo ship docked at Thitu Island in the South China Sea. AFP Photo In a statement, it said the Philippine ship "suddenly changed direction in an unprofessional and dangerous manner, deliberately colliding with our coast guard vessel '21556' which was conducting a normal surveillance tour." “We will not be impressed ,” reacted the president of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos, on Facebook. "The aggression and provocations perpetrated by the Chinese coast guard and its maritime militia against our ships and personnel this weekend only reinforce our resolve to protect our sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea," he said. The incident caused a convoy of civilian ships that were supposed to deliver supplies to fishermen and Filipino troops in these waters to cancel their mission due to the "constant surveillance" of the Chinese ships, the organizer reported.