Chinese and Filipino vessels experience a collision event.
With bold moves, China reinforces its territorial claims over vast regions in the South China Sea. These assertions aren't recognized by other claimants. It looks like another skirmish is on the horizon, involving a Philippine vessel this time.
As per Chinese officials, a Chinese and a Philippine ship had a collision in the South China Sea. The Chinese Coast Guard alleges that the Philippine supply ship disregarded "numerous warnings" from the Chinese side and approached recklessly, causing the crash within the Spratly Islands.
The Chinese Coast Guard labeled the Philippine ship as "unlawful" in the waters near Second Thomas Reef. "Following due legal process, the Chinese Coast Guard enacted countermeasures against the Philippine ship," the statement continued.
China lays claim to nearly all of the South China Sea. Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam also put forward their claims over parts of the sea area. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague found several of China's claims to be invalid. Beijing disregards this ruling. Beijing deploys its Coast Guard vessels in the region to enforce control. Frequent collisions between Chinese and Filipino ships are common in this region.
Tensions over US Navy Navigation
Recently, there was a disagreement about a US Navy ship passing through. In early May, a Chinese military spokesperson stated the US actions "flagrantly violate Chinese sovereignty and security." The USA created "risks to security in the South China Sea" and was seen as the "biggest disrupter of peace and stability in the region."
It appears the guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey "illegally and without Chinese authorization entered Chinese territorial waters near the Xisha Islands." "Xisha Islands" is the Chinese term for the Paracel Islands. The US Navy acknowledged the ship's route and claimed they defended "navigational rights and freedoms in the South China Sea near the Paracel Islands."
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In response to the collision incident, the Philippines lodges a strong protest against China's actions in the South China Sea border dispute. Despite the ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016, China's territorial claims around the Spratly Islands continue to escalate tensions with neighboring countries like the Philippines.
