China asserts that it ‘rescued’ Filipino personnel following a ship collision in the disputed South China Sea, a claim vehemently refuted by the Philippines.

China, Philippines, South China Sea, Manila, patrol aircraft

China’s coast guard said it rescued Filipino “personnel” who fell overboard Sunday after a Philippine vessel collided with one of its ships near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea.

The Philippines slammed China’s claims as “completely unfounded”.

The two nations have experienced repeated confrontations in the waters in recent months, and on Saturday Manila accused China of recently twice firing flares at one of its patrol aircraft.

China has persistently asserted its claims to nearly the entirety of the sea, disregarding an international tribunal ruling that its assertions lack legal foundation.

Beijing accused the Philippine vessel of “deliberately” colliding with a Chinese Coast Guard ship.

Advertisement The incident occurred near the disputed Sabina Shoal, approximately 140 kilometers (86 miles) west of the Philippine island of Palawan and about 1,200 kilometers from Hainan island, the closest Chinese territory.

China Coast Guard spokesman Gan Yu said the collision occurred when a Philippine vessel refused to comply with “control measures” after attempting to deliver supplies to another vessel “illegally stationed” near Xianbin Reef in the Nansha Islands – using the Chinese names for the Sabina Shoal and the Spratly Islands also claimed by Manila.

“China warns the Philippines to immediately cease its infringing actions, otherwise the Philippines will bear all consequences resulting from this situation,” Gan said.

The Philippines said that its ships encountered “aggressive and dangerous maneuvers” from the Chinese side when they were on a humanitarian mission to resupply Filipino fishermen with diesel, food and medical items.

The Chinese vessels “made close perilous maneuvers that resulted in ramming, blasted horns, and deployed water cannons”, leading to an early termination of the resupply operation after their ship experienced engine failure, a statement from Manila’s National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea said.

“These unprofessional, aggressive, and illegal actions posed serious risks to the safety of the Filipino crew and the fishermen they were meant to serve,” the statement said, adding that no one was harmed.

Video footage released by the Philippine Coast Guard depicted a Chinese ship closing in on and striking the left side of their vessel.

Another segment of the footage showcased a Chinese vessel traveling alongside the Philippine ship, mere meters apart.

Recurring clashes

On Saturday the Philippines accused China of firing flares at one of its aircraft earlier this month while it was patrolling the South China Sea.

On Monday, both nations reported a collision between their coast guard vessels near Sabina Shoal.

Manila had previously stated that this was the first aggressive action by Beijing against it near Sabina, where both nations have stationed coast guard vessels in recent months and where the Philippines fears China is on the verge of building an artificial island.

Advertisement China regularly deploys boats to patrol the busy South China Sea and has constructed artificial islands that it has militarized to bolster its claims.

In June, Chinese coast guard personnel brandished weapons including knives and an axe during an encounter with Philippine naval vessels near the strategically important reef.

The Philippine military said one of its sailors lost a thumb in the confrontation in which Beijing’s coast guard also confiscated or destroyed Philippine equipment including guns.

Beijing has attributed the escalation to Manila and insists that its actions to safeguard its territorial claims are legal and proportionate.