China is back to bullying its neighbors in the South China Sea. Earlier today the Chinese Coast Guard fired water cannons at a ship from the Philippines and then sideswiped the ship.
Three Philippine coast guard and bureau of fisheries vessels were on routine patrol to protect Filipino fishermen at Scarborough Shoal when several Chinese coast guard and navy ships approached and staged “aggressive actions” after dawn, the Philippine coast guard said...
On Wednesday, one of the Philippine vessels, BRP Datu Pagbuaya, was hit by high-pressure water fired from a Chinese coast guard ship with bow number 3302 which targeted its navigational antennas about 16 nautical miles (30 kilometers) south of Scarborough, Manila’s coast guard said.
Shortly after, the Chinese coast guard ship “intentionally sideswiped the BRP Datu Pagbuaya on its starboard side” and then “launched a second water cannon attack on the same vessel,” it said.
Philippine coast guard ship BRP Teresa Magbanua “faced blocking, shadowing and dangerous maneuvers” by two Chinese navy and coast guard ships, it said. Another Philippine coast guard ship, the BRP Cabra, “was subjected to reckless maneuvers” by a Chinese coast guard ship at a distance of about 300 yards (274 meters), Philippine coast guard officials said.
Here's video of the incident.
▶️The Philippine coast guard released a video Wednesday showing what it described as "aggressive actions" by Chinese navy and coast guard vessels against a routine patrol near the contested Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. Meanwhile, China’s coast guard claimed that four… pic.twitter.com/KxZkhmUIvu
— Voice of America (@VOANews) December 4, 2024
This wasn't the only ramming incident by the Chinese Coast Guard today. Something similar happened at Escoda Shoal the same morning.
WATCH: This video shows a China Coast Guard ship ramming a Philippine fisheries vessel near Escoda Shoal on Wednesday morning, Dec. 4.
— Michael Joe Delizo (@michael_delizo) December 4, 2024
This incident is separate from an earlier confrontation that occurred the same day in Bajo de Masinloc. (🎥: PCG) pic.twitter.com/CblvBWPrm6
The US ambassador to the Philippines has condemned China's behavior.
The PRC's unlawful use of water cannons and dangerous maneuvers disrupted a Philippine maritime operation on December 4, putting lives at risk. We condemn these actions and stand with our likeminded #FriendsPartnersAllies in support of a #FreeAndOpenIndoPacific.
— Ambassador MaryKay L. Carlson (@USAmbPH) December 4, 2024
China claims the ship was intruding into their territory.
Lin Jian, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said during the ministry's regular press conference that Scarborough Shoal is "China's inherent territory." Lin said that Philippine vessels had intruded into the shoal's territorial waters, prompting lawful and professional measures from Chinese forces.
"China advises the Philippines to immediately stop its infringement and provocation and refrain from challenging China's firm determination to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests," Lin said.
China recently filed claims about its specific baselines around Scarborough Shoal with the UN. This is being seen as an effort to add credibility to their claims to the island.
Last month, Beijing posted geographic coordinates for the baselines around the disputed Scarborough Shoal – known as Huangyan Island in China and Panatag Shoal in the Philippines – as a pre-calculated move over Manila’s enactment of new maritime laws two days earlier that aimed to strengthen and embed its own claims over the reef and other contested parts of the sea into domestic laws...
According to Zheng Zhihua, an associate professor specialising in maritime affairs at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the declaration of baselines not only reaffirmed Beijing’s territorial claims to the shoal but also laid a clear foundation for regulating activities within the area...
International experts have said the shoal – essentially an atoll with some rocks barely above water level – did not meet the geographical requirements for straight baseline use as stipulated by the convention.
China's claim to this shoal, which is mostly underwater, is that they have a dozen ships camped out there at all times. I guess we'll have to wait and see how the incoming Trump administration deals with China's ongoing aggression and threats in the region.
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