ISLAMABAD: China’s coast guard accused a Philippine vessel of ramming near the disputed Scarborough Shoal, but Manila denied it, alleging Chinese forces used water cannons that damaged its ship and injured a crew member.
In a statement, China’s coast guard said more than 10 Philippine government ships approached from several directions and entered waters around the shoal, which Beijing calls Huangyan Island. It said Chinese units deployed water cannons against the vessels.
The encounter came six days after China designated part of Scarborough Shoal a national nature reserve. The Philippine government, which calls the feature Bajo de Masinloc, filed a diplomatic protest.
The Philippine Coast Guard said two Chinese coast guard ships hit a Filipino fisheries vessel, the BRP Datu Gumbay Piang, with powerful water cannons for nearly 30 minutes, causing “significant damage” to the captain’s cabin and the bridge.
A shattered glass window injured one crew member, it said, while flooding triggered a short circuit that affected electrical outlets and five outdoor air-conditioning units, AP reported.
The Philippine Coast Guard added that a Chinese navy warship broadcast a radio notice “announcing live-fire exercises” at the shoal, which it said caused panic among Filipino fishermen.
The Philippine coast guard and fisheries ships were deployed to the shoal on Tuesday to provide fuel, water, ice and other aid to more than 35 fishing boats in the area.
A statement from the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the Chinese action “yet another coercive move to advance sweeping territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea at the expense of its neighbors.”
The U.K. and Australia also expressed concern, and the Canadian Embassy in the Philippines said it opposed attempts to use environmental protection as a way to take control over the disputed Scarborough Shoal.
