WATCH: Chinese ships collide while chasing Philippine patrol boat in West Philippine Sea
A Chinese Navy warship collided with a China Coast Guard vessel as the latter was chasing the Philippine Coast Guard's patrol ship in the West Philippine Sea.
In a soundless first-person video shared by Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, China Coast Guard 3104 was going after BRP Suluan and trying to douse it with a water cannon. As the Chinese vessel was nearing the Philippines, the People’s Liberation Army Navy 164 came out of nowhere and struck its bow, promptly ending the chase as the Philippine ship moved away.
Tarriela told the Philippine Information Agency that the incident happened approximately 10.5 nautical miles east of Bajo de Masinloc during the PCG’s “Kadiwa Para sa Bagong Bayaning Mangingisda” mission, which deployed three Philippine vessels to provide fuel and supplies to about 35 Filipino fishing boats in the area.
He said the collision left the Chinese coast guard vessel significantly damaged and “unseaworthy."
In any case, Tarriela said the PCG "immediately offered" support for crew recovery and medical aid for any injured Chinese personnel.
"Wala rin sa mga barko natin ang nagtamo ng kahit anong damages,” he added. “I would like to attribute this to the good seamanship skills ng ating mga tropa."
In the caption of his video post, Tarriela said the PCG "has consistently urged the Chinese government to respect the COLREGS (Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea) and to approach these matters with professionalism, especially considering their role in enforcing maritime laws."
"We have also emphasized that such reckless behavior at sea could ultimately lead to accidents. Our thoughts are with the CCG personnel who may have been injured in this incident," he added.
'Took necessary measures'
China's coastguard, meanwhile, claimed it "took necessary measures" to expel Philippine vessels from the area.
In a statement shared by South China Morning Post, spokesman Gan Yu said the Chinese coastguard forced several Philippine coastguard and government vessels away from waters near Scarborough Shoal after they “ignored repeated warnings from the Chinese side and insistently intruded into the waterway."
The “necessary” measures it took, Gan said, included tracking, monitoring, intercepting, and blocking, describing them as “professional, standardized, legitimate, and legal."
“Huangyan Island is an inherent part of China’s territory,” Gan claimed, referring to the Chinese name for the shoal, adding that the coastguard would continue law enforcement activities “to safeguard national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests."
The statement, however, did not mention the collision.
Scarborough Shoal, called Bajo de Masinloc locally, is one of the most disputed areas in the West Philippine Sea and has been the site of a growing number of confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels.
'Hindi tayo umaatras sa laban'
Following the incident, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said he would "never instruct" Philippine vessels to "back out" of Scarborough Shoal.
"We do not back out because natakot tayo… Dito sa gobyernong ito hindi tayo umaatras sa laban,” Marcos said in a press conference. “We will continue to defend our territory. We will continue to defend our sovereign rights.”
Marcos also dismissed China's claims that the Philippines must "refrain from playing with fire" after he commented on China's would-be war with Taiwan.
He pointed out that since the "playing with fire" remark, there has been an increase in activity in the West Philippine Sea.
The president's comments come at a time of heightened tensions between Manila and Beijing over territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea, a strategic waterway where the two countries have had a series of maritime run-ins over the past years.
Both countries have traded accusations of aggressive maneuvers and sovereignty violations, prompting the United States to reaffirm its commitment to defend the Philippines.
On Monday, a Philippine vessel transporting provisions to Filipino fishermen in the Scarborough Shoal was sprayed at with a water cannon by a Chinese coast guard ship, the Philippine Coast Guard said. The vessel managed to evade being hit.
Responding to the Monday incident, China's coast guard said it had taken necessary measures to expel Philippine vessels from Scarborough Shoal, which China claims as its own territory.
It described the operation as "professional, standardized, legitimate, and legal."
A 2016 ruling of an international arbitral tribunal voided Beijing's sweeping claims in the region, saying they had no basis under international law, a decision China rejects. (with reports from Reuters)