This photo taken on February 16, 2024, shows a rigid hull inflatable boat leaving a Chinese coast guard vessel near the China-controlled Scarborough Shoal, in disputed waters of the South China Sea. | FILE PHOTO/AFP
MANILA, Philippines — A Philippine supply ship has collided with one of the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessels near the Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea, and the CCG is blaming the Philippines for the incident.
The Filipino ship “illegally” entered the waters near Ayungin Shoal at 5:59 a.m. Monday, June 17, the CCG said.
According to the CCG, it took control measures against the Philippine vessel — which allegedly ignored its repeated warnings.
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“[It] violated the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, and deliberately approached the Chinese ship in an unprofessional manner, causing a collision,” it said.
“The responsibility lies entirely with the Philippines,” it added.
Monday’s incident occurred amid increased tension between China and the Philippines, especially after Beijing told Manila to first notify it before accessing Ayungin Shoal – a move that National Security Adviser Eduardo Año tagged as “absurd, nonsense and unacceptable.”
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Both countries have been embroiled in a territorial dispute as China has been claiming ownership over the majority of the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea, through its so-called nine-dash line which it later amended to 10-dash line to incorporate Taiwan.
However, a July 2016 international tribunal ruling that stemmed from an arbitral case filed by the Philippines in 2013 invalidated China’s assertions.
But China has been ignoring the ruling, persistently encroaching Philippine waters and continuing its aggression and militarization within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
INQUIRER.net has sought the side of the Armed Forces of the Philippines regarding this latest incident in the West Philippine Sea, but has yet to receive a response as of posting.