BEIJING — China Coast Guard said on Wednesday an official Philippine ship in waters around Scarborough Shoal "ignored" its repeated warnings, and "deliberately rammed" and "seriously threatened" the safety of one of its vessels.
The Chinese authorities urged the Philippines to immediately stop the infringement and provocation or face the consequences.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Coast Guard said Chinese navy and coast guard vessels had taken "aggressive actions" against a routine patrol by it and the fisheries bureau near the contested Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea.
A Chinese coastguard fired a water cannon at a PCG vessel "aiming directly at the vessel's navigational antennas", Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson for the South China Sea, said in a statement.
Philippine vessels also faced "blocking, shadowing, and dangerous manoeuvres" from Chinese navy and coastguard ships, he added.
Tensions between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea have escalated throughout the year, particularly over the Scarborough Shoal, a prime fishing patch.
China claims nearly the entire South China Sea, a vital waterway for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce, parts of which are also claimed by the Philippines, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.