China coastguard’s ‘dangerous manoeuvres’ caused South China Sea collision, Philippines says

During a resupply mission for Philippine soldiers in the South China Sea, the Philippines on Tuesday accused China’s coast guard of engaging in “dangerous manoeuvres” that resulted in a collision between its coast guard ship and a Chinese vessel.

Speaking on social media platform X, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela stated that the PCG vessel had minor structural damage.

“Their reckless and illegal actions led to a collision,” Tarriela said in the social media post that was accompanied by video clips showing the moment the ships scraped each other’s bows.

One of two coast guard ships supporting a mission to deliver supplies for a small contingent of Filipino soldiers stationed aboard a warship Manila stranded on the Second Thomas Shoal in 1999 to bolster claims to sovereignty was the PCG vessel.