A number of Chinese vessels blocked Philippine patrol ships on a resupply mission in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea on Monday, in the latest confrontation in the contested waters.
Reporters from several domestic and foreign news organisations, including Kyodo News, were onboard Philippine Coast Guard ships accompanying the mission. They witnessed the Chinese vessels approach and encircle the two Philippine patrol boats headed for the Sabina Shoal, one of the main flashpoints in the disputed waters.
The Chinese coastguard said it took “control measures” against two Philippine ships that “illegally intruded” into waters off the shoal.
The disruption by the ships — six coast guard vessels, three navy ships and 31 militia boats — took place on Monday, according to the Philippine Coast Guard. It followed an incident the previous day in which Chinese vessels rammed a Philippine fishery agency boat travelling to the shoal, firing water cannons and damaging its engine.
Both sides had put out statements blaming the other after the incident on Sunday, in a repeat of a similar face-off in the area on August 19.
Since April, the Philippines has deployed a coast guard ship named the Teresa Magbanua, acquired from Japan, near the shoal located 110 nautical miles from the western island of Palawan. China claims sovereignty over the shoal and calls it Xianbin Jiao.
The mission on Monday involving the Philippine patrol ship was being carried out to bring fresh food and water to the crew stationed on the Teresa Magbanua and to rotate personnel.
The Philippines has also regularly sent provisions to a naval outpost on the Second Thomas Shoal, also located the in South China Sea and which China calls Ren’ai Jiao. Since last year, Beijing has been disrupting Philippine ships sailing to the shoal more frequently.
China claims sovereignty over nearly all of the South China Sea. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague invalidated China’s claims in 2016, but the country rejected the decision and has continued its military buildup in the area.
The Philippines and China reached a tentative deal last month to de-escalate tensions between the two countries over Manila’s resupply missions to the Second Thomas Shoal.
Earlier this month, the Chinese Foreign Ministry protested the deployment of the Teresa Magbanua near the Sabina Shoal and demanded that Manila withdraw the vessel at once.