At least eight Philippine naval personnel were injured, including one who lost a thumb, in a clash with Chinese coast guard vessels this week while delivering food and other supplies to a military post in disputed waters in the South China Sea, Philippine security officials said.
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs condemned China’s “illegal and aggressive” actions, adding that dialogue and consultations could not be achieved “unless China’s words are consistent with its actions at sea.”
The shallow waters are home to a small Philippine navy unit aboard the long-stranded warship Sierra Madre and are closely watched by China’s coast guard and navy in a years-long territorial dispute that has seen China expand its claims over nearly the entire South China Sea, increasingly leading to direct clashes with other countries in the region, notably the Philippines and Vietnam.
Two rubber boats carrying Philippine navy personnel approached Sierra Madre on Monday to deliver fresh supplies when several Chinese coast guard personnel in speedboats arrived to block the mission, leading to scuffles and clashes, two Philippine security officials with knowledge of the shallow-water resupply mission told The Associated Press.
At least eight Filipinos were injured, including one who lost a thumb, said one of the two officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were ordered not to speak publicly about the collision in international waters.
Five of the injured sailors were rescued by one of two Philippine Coast Guard patrol boats waiting remotely to support the navy’s resupply mission in shallow waters. The two rubber boats were towed by Chinese coast guard personnel but were abandoned after they were damaged and emptied of supplies, two officials said.
The Chinese coast guard offered a different version of the incident, saying the Philippines “bears full responsibility for the matter” and that the Philippine vessel “ignored China’s repeated and solemn warnings and made an unprofessional and dangerous approach to a Chinese vessel on normal navigation, causing a collision.”
China’s Foreign Ministry said the supply ship, accompanied by two Philippine speedboats, was attempting to transport construction materials and other supplies to the Sierra Madre mountain range. It described the Chinese coast guard’s actions as “professional, restrained, reasonable and lawful.”
Following the incident, the United States warned that it had an obligation to defend the Philippines, a treaty ally.
Several other incidents have occurred in recent months near Second Thomas Shoal, less than 370 kilometers off the Philippine coast where the now rust-covered Sierra Madre mountain range was deliberately run aground in 1999 to create a territorial outpost.
The ship is an active warship and the Philippines could consider any attack on it an act of war.
China’s new law, which came into force on Saturday, gives its coast guard the power to seize foreign vessels that “illegally enter China’s territorial waters” and detain foreign crew members for up to 60 days. The law makes fresh reference to a 2021 law that allows China’s coast guard to open fire on foreign vessels if necessary.
