BEIJING (AP) — China’s coast guard said Monday that a Chinese vessel and a Philippine supply ship collided near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.
The Coast Guard said a Philippine supply ship had entered waters near Second Thomas Reef, a submerged reef in the Spratly Islands that is claimed by several countries.
In a statement on social media platform WeChat, the Chinese coast guard said the Philippine supply ship had “ignored China’s repeated and solemn warnings and made an unprofessional and dangerous approach to a Chinese ship on normal navigation, causing a collision.”
“The Philippines takes full responsibility for this matter,” he added.
The Philippines claims the shoal, less than 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) from its coast, is within its internationally recognized exclusive economic zone and often cites a 2016 international arbitration ruling that invalidated China’s sweeping territorial claims in the South China Sea on historical grounds.
Several incidents have occurred in recent months near the shoal, where the Philippines is stationed with the BRP Sierra Madre.
The territorial dispute has strained ties and raised concerns that it could lead China and the Philippines’ longtime treaty ally, the United States, into a military conflict. The United States does not claim the busy waterway, a vital global trade route, but has warned it has a duty to defend the Philippines if its troops, ships or aircraft come under attack in the South China Sea.
Besides China and the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan are also involved in a long-simmering territorial dispute that is seen as a flashpoint in Asia and a sensitive rift in the long-standing U.S.-China rivalry in the region.
