Two Chinese vessels collided in the South China Sea on Monday while pursuing a Philippine patrol boat near the contested Scarborough Shoal, officials in Manila said, releasing video footage of the incident.
The video shows a Chinese coast guard vessel shooting a water cannon and tracking close behind a Philippine coast guard boat until it collided with a much larger People’s Liberation Army craft, leaving visible damage on both Chinese vessels.
Crew members aboard the smaller Chinese vessel had been visible just before the collision, Philippine coast guard spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela said at a press briefing. He said the Chinese crew didn’t respond to an offer of assistance from the Philippine crew.
“We’re not sure whether they were able to rescue those personnel who were in front prior to the collision. But we are hoping that these personnel are in good condition,” he said.
China’s military confirmed the confrontation, but did not confirm or deny the collision. “The China Coast Guard took necessary measures in accordance with the law, including monitoring, pressing from the outside, blocking and controlling the Philippine vessels to drive them away,” Gan Yu, a Chinese coast guard spokesperson, said in a statement.
The incident comes days after the Philippine and Indian navies conducted joint exercises in the South China Sea, held to counter China’s far-reaching maritime claims.
The Scarborough Shoal is a triangular chain of reefs located 125 nautical miles from the main Philippine island of Luzon. Over the past year, China has sought to strengthen its claim to the shoal, mounted large-scale military drills and deployed the world’s largest coast guard ship, known as “The Monster,” in the area.
Includes reporting from Agence France-Presse.
