The Philippines and China traded accusations on Sunday after Chinese and Filipino ships collided during a mission to resupply Philippine troops in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. The incident occurred around 25 kilometres from the Second Thomas Shoal atoll, where the Philippine navy is based and where Beijing has deployed ships to lay claim to almost all the maritime territory.
The United States sided with the Philippines and denounced Pekin’s “dangerous actions”.
China said there had been a “minor collision” after the Philippine boat ignored “multiple warnings and deliberately crossed the path of law enforcement in an unprofessional and dangerous manner”, the foreign ministry was quoted as saying by state broadcaster CCTV.
In a statement, the Philippine authorities said that “the dangerous blocking manoeuvres of the Chinese coast guard vessel 5203 caused it to collide with the supply vessel (…) engaged by the Armed Forces of the Philippines”.
