(UPDATE) A CHINA Coast Guard (CCG) ship on Sunday rammed and fired a water cannon at a Philippine government vessel near Pag-asa Island, marking another tense confrontation in the West Philippine Sea.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said that around 9:15 a.m. CCG vessel 21559 fired its water cannon at the BRP Datu Pagbuaya, one of three Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) ships anchored off Pag-asa Island.
The BFAR vessels were distributing food, fuel and provisions to local fishermen.
The Chinese vessel then rammed the Datu Pagbuaya’s stern, causing minor damage but no injuries among the crew.
Photos and videos released by the PCG showed a China Coast Guard vessel — with its activated water cannon — shadowing a Philippine ship.
Before the incident, several CCG and Chinese maritime militia vessels had made dangerous maneuvers and activated their water cannons near the anchored Filipino ships, PCG officials said.
Despite the aggression, both the PCG and BFAR vowed to maintain their presence in the Kalayaan Island Group and continue protecting Filipino fishermen within the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
“The harassment we faced today only strengthens our resolve,” PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan said in a statement. “Filipino fisherfolk depend on these waters, and neither water cannons nor ramming will deter us from fulfilling our commitment to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to not surrender a square inch of our territory to any foreign power.”
BFAR officials said the confrontation emphasized the increasing dangers faced by Filipino fishers in the West Philippine Sea, and the need for continuous patrols and support operations in the area.
In a statement, the CCG claimed that Philippine government vessels “illegally intruded” into waters it calls Tiexian Jiao — known internationally as Pag-asa Island — and “caused a collision” after allegedly ignoring repeated warnings.
“Despite repeated stern warnings from the Chinese side, Philippine vessel 3003 dangerously approached the China Coast Guard vessel 21559 (Datu Pagbuaya) that was on a normal law enforcement mission and caused a collision,” CCG spokesman Liu Dejun said.
Lin said “the responsibility lies entirely with the Philippine side.”
Beijing reiterated its “indisputable sovereignty” over the Nansha Qundao (Spratly Islands), including Tiexian Jiao, and urged Manila to “immediately stop its infringement and provocation.”
The latest clash adds to a growing list of confrontations between Philippine and Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea this year alone.
In August, two Philippine Coast Guard supply boats were attacked with water cannons by Chinese ships while on a mission to resupply the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal.
Earlier in May, CCG vessels used the same tactics against another PCG mission near the same area, damaging communication equipment and forcing a temporary retreat.
In March, the PCG reported “shadowing and dangerous blocking maneuvers” by Chinese ships around Pag-asa Island, a site that hosts a small Filipino civilian community and military outpost.
Foreign affairs officials in Manila have filed diplomatic protests over the incidents, saying China violated international law, particularly the 2016 Hague arbitral ruling that invalidated Beijing’s expansive claims over the South China Sea.
Defense and maritime analysts warn that the mounting escalation near Pag-asa Island shows China’s intent to assert de facto control over key areas of the West Philippine Sea, raising the risk of a larger confrontation.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said it was coordinating with the PCG and the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea to determine appropriate action over the latest incident.
WITH AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE