(Manila) The Philippine Coast Guard on Sunday accused China of carrying out “dangerous” maneuvers during a nine-day patrol off the coast of the archipelago.
Chinese coast guard vessels “performed dangerous maneuvers and blockages on four occasions” against a Philippine patrol boat, denounces Manila in a press release.
The patrol vessel, BRP Teresa Magbanua, was deployed in early February to “ensure the safety of Filipino fishermen” around Scarborough Reef in the South China Sea, some 350 kilometers west of Manila. This reef was taken from the Philippines by Beijing in 2012.
During the mission, the patrol boat was “followed” by four Chinese coast guard vessels, according to the Philippines.
The Chinese coast guard service, through its spokesperson Gan Yu, reacted by affirming that the Philippine vessel had “illegally entered” Chinese waters several times.
“The Chinese coast guard, taking note that their warnings were not sufficient, took legal action to control the progress of the Philippine vessel and force it to leave,” he said , adding that the Chinese coast guard had “acted professionally and in accordance with standards”.
Videos distributed by the Philippine Coast Guard show a Chinese Coast Guard vessel just meters from the port beam of the Philippine vessel Teresa Magbanua, before crossing its path.
Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, including waters and islands near its neighbors’ coasts, and has ignored an international court’s ruling in 2016 rejecting the claim.
The Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam also claim several reefs and islets in this sea, some areas of which could contain rich oil reserves.
In December, a Philippine boat and a Chinese coast guard vessel collided in the waters of the Spratly Islands, near the Second Thomas Atoll where a Philippine garrison is established. Both countries blamed each other for the incident.