MANILA, Philippines – The Chinese coast guard attacked Philippine ships with water cannons on Sunday and rammed one of them, causing damage and endangering Filipino crew members off a disputed sandbar in the China Sea Southern, just a day after similar hostilities on another disputed sandbar. Philippine officials said.
The Philippines and its treaty ally, the United States, immediately condemned the latest clash near the Second Thomas Shoal, where two supply ships operated by the Philippine navy and two Philippine coast guard escort ships had sailed to deliver food and other supplies. to Philippine forces on a long-abandoned Navy ship serving as a territorial outpost.
“We condemn, once again, China’s latest acts of unprovoked coercion and dangerous maneuvers against a legitimate and routine Philippine rotation and resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal that has put the lives of our people at risk,” a task force said. of the Philippine government that deals with the territorial disputes said in a statement, using the Filipino name for the sandbar.
Blasts from the Chinese coast guard’s high-pressure water cannons disabled and severely damaged the engines of the Philippine supply ship M/L Kalayaan, which had to be towed back to the western Philippine province of Palawan, Philippine officials said. adding that the action put the lives of the crew in serious danger.
One of the two Philippine coast guard escort ships, the BRP Cabra, suffered mast damage due to the water cannon explosion.
Another supply ship was rammed by a Chinese coast guard ship, but still managed to maneuver and deliver supplies to Philippine Marines at Second Thomas Shoal, they said.
The Chinese Coast Guard attacked Philippine ships with water cannons near a disputed sandbar in the South China Sea on December 10, 2023. Philippine Coast Guard via AP
Drone video footage and photographs released by the Philippine coast guard show two Chinese coast guard ships separately firing point-blank water cannons at BRP Cabra and a smaller supply ship.
“The systematic and consistent manner in which the People’s Republic of China carries out these illegal and irresponsible actions calls into question and calls into question the sincerity of its calls for peaceful dialogue,” he said. “We demand that China demonstrate that it is a responsible and trustworthy member of the international community.”
The Chinese coast guard said it had “implemented controls in accordance with laws and regulations.” The statement did not give details about the measures taken, but said the Philippines’ action “seriously violated China’s sovereignty.”
The Chinese Coast Guard ship also rammed a Philippine supply ship. Philippine Coast Guard via AP
He also claimed that a Philippine ship ignored warnings and, in violation of international navigation rules, made a sharp turn in an “unprofessional and dangerous manner” and intentionally collided with a Chinese coast guard ship, causing “scratches.”
“The responsibility lies entirely with the Philippine side,” the coast guard said.
Coast guard spokesman Gan Yu described China’s actions as “reasonable, legal and professional” and said such operations would continue unabated.
“We sternly warn the Philippines to immediately cease its offending actions… and strictly control its provocations on the front lines so as not to fall a stone on its own foot,” Gan said on the coast guard website.
China’s actions were strongly condemned by foreign diplomats in the Philippines, including ambassadors of treaty partners the United States, the European Union and Japan.
“The United States stands with the Philippines and its partners in vehemently condemning the People’s Republic of China’s repeated illegal and dangerous actions against ships,” US Ambassador MaryKay L. Carlson posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Chinese ships, which have surrounded Philippine-occupied Second Thomas Shoal for years, have blocked Philippine coast guard and supply ships in a years-long effort to take control of the disputed atoll claimed by both nations.
China has rejected all international condemnation and attempts at legal intervention, including a 2016 ruling by a UN-backed arbitration tribunal that invalidated China’s claims, leaving them without any legal basis. China insists it has the legal right to “defend its sovereignty” in line with its claim to virtually the entire South China Sea, one of the world’s most crucial waterways for shipping and other maritime activities.
The confrontation took place near Second Thomas Shoal for the second day in a row. Philippine Coast Guard via AP
On Saturday, the Chinese coast guard and accompanying ships also targeted three Philippine fishing vessels with water cannons to prevent them from approaching Scarborough Shoal in the disputed waters off the northwest Philippines.
That caused “significant damage” to the communications and navigation equipment of one of the three Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessels, Philippine officials said. They added that the suspected militia vessels accompanying Chinese coast guard ships used a long-range acoustic device that could impair hearing, causing “severe temporary discomfort and incapacitation to some Filipino crew members.”
In other clashes on the high seas this year, Chinese coast guard ships used a military-grade laser that caused temporary blindness to Filipino crew members and performed dangerous lock-and-track maneuvers that led to minor collisions, Philippine officials say.
A Chinese Coast Guard ship rams the Philippine navy-operated supply ship Unaizah Mae 1. Philippine Coast Guard via AP
More tensions are coming.
“The Philippines will not be deterred from exercising our legal rights over our maritime zones,” the Philippine government task force said.
A flotilla of 40 civilian fishing boats, backed by Philippine coast guard escort ships, was initially headed to Second Thomas Shoal on Sunday, but decided to head first to two Philippine-occupied islets in the South China Sea to deliver food parcels. Christmas
From there, organizers will reassess before the flotilla proceeds with a plan to sail around the Second Thomas Shoal, said one of the organizers, Rafaela David, who denounced the latest Chinese action.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn