By Isabel Kua

China’s coast guard said it rescued Filipino “persons” who fell overboard on Sunday when a Filipino ship collided with one of its vessels near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea.

The Philippines sharply criticized China’s allegations and called them “completely unfounded.”

The two countries have repeatedly clashed in these waters in recent months, and on Saturday Manila accused China of twice firing flares at one of its patrol aircraft.

China continues to insist on its claims to almost the entire sea, ignoring the ruling of an international tribunal that its claims have no legal basis.

Beijing accused the Philippine ship of “intentionally” colliding with a Chinese coast guard vessel.

The collision was said to have occurred near the disputed Sabina Reef, 140 kilometers west of the Philippine island of Palawan and about 1,200 kilometers from the nearest Chinese landmass, Hainan Island.

Chinese coast guard spokesman Gan Yu said the collision occurred when a Philippine ship refused to comply with “control measures” after attempting to deliver supplies to another vessel that was “illegally stationed” near the Xianbin Reef in the Nansha Islands, using the Chinese names for the Sabina Reef and the Spratly Islands, which are also claimed by Manila.

“China warns the Philippines to immediately stop its violations, otherwise the Philippines will bear all the consequences arising from this situation,” Gan said.

The Philippines said its ships encountered “aggressive and dangerous maneuvers” by the Chinese side while on a humanitarian mission to supply Filipino fishermen with diesel, food and medical supplies.

The Chinese ships “conducted dangerous close-quarters maneuvers that resulted in ramming, honking and the use of water cannons,” leading to the premature termination of the resupply operation after their ship suffered engine failure, a statement from the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea in Manila said.

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

Footage released by the Philippine Coast Guard showed a Chinese ship approaching and ramming the left side of the ship.

Another clip showed a Chinese ship sailing parallel to the Filipino ship just a few meters away.

Recurring clashes

On Saturday, the Philippines accused China of firing flares at one of its aircraft during its patrol in the South China Sea earlier this month.

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

Manila had said this was Beijing’s first hostile action against the Philippines near Sabina, where both sides have stationed coast guard vessels in recent months and where the Philippines fear China is about to build an artificial island.

U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson, whose country has a mutual defense treaty with Manila, on Sunday condemned the “unsafe, unlawful and aggressive behavior” of the Chinese ships, saying it was “the latest in a series of dangerous actions” by China.

“We will remain steadfast in our support of the Philippine allies,” she said on X.

China uses boats to patrol the busy South China Sea and has built and militarily equipped artificial islands to bolster its claims.

In June, Chinese coast guards brandished weapons such as knives and an axe as they boarded Philippine warships near the strategic reef.

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

Beijing blamed Manila for the escalation and stressed that its measures to protect its claims were legal and proportionate.

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