Philippine fishing vessel gets rammed by Chinese vessel.
In the ongoing tussle between China and the Philippines over territorial rights in the South China Sea, another incident has surfaced. As per reports from the Philippine fisheries agency, a Chinese maritime militia boat allegedly collided with a Filipino fishing boat near Thitu Island.
The incident is evident in a video released by the agency, showing the Chinese boat with registration number 00108 coming close to the Filipino vessel "Datu Cabaylo". The collision resulted in damage to the starboard side of the Philippine ship, the agency clarified. The Chinese embassy in Manila has yet to issue a statement regarding these allegations.
China insists on laying claim to nearly the entire South China Sea as its own territorial waters, including Thitu, which is currently controlled by the Philippines. The People's Republic does not acknowledge the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, which declared their claims as baseless. The Philippines accuses China of introducing a "maritime militia" into the contested waters. Beijing, on the other hand, maintains that these are civilian vessels.
The Philippines strongly accusates Beijing of deploying its civilian vessels, deemed as a "maritime militia," within the contested South China Sea waters surrounding Thitu Island. This tactic, as seen in the recent incident, raises concerns among Filipino fishermen, with potential collisions like the one with "Datu Cabaylo" occurring.
