Jake Sanders, Zamboanga
China Coast Guard vessels fired water cannons at two Philippine government ships in the South China Sea on Friday, marking the third confrontation between the two sides this week. The incident occurred as foreign ministers from ASEAN and partner countries gathered in Manila for their annual meetings, where tensions in the disputed waters featured prominently on the agenda.
Beijing asserts sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea, a vital artery for global trade. A 2016 arbitral tribunal ruling, grounded in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, rejected China’s expansive claims.
The latest clash took place near Scarborough Shoal (known as Huangyan Island in Chinese and also claimed by Taiwan), continuing a pattern from the previous day. According to the Philippine Coast Guard, a Chinese vessel closed to within seven meters of a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources ship in what Manila described as a reckless maneuver that raised a serious risk of collision.
The Philippine Coast Guard condemned the Chinese actions as dangerous and unprofessional. It reiterated that the shoal forms an integral part of Philippine territory, with its surrounding waters belonging to the country’s territorial sea and exclusive economic zone.
China’s Coast Guard offered a contrasting account. It stated that multiple Philippine vessels, including three coast guard ships, had assembled in the area. Chinese forces issued verbal warnings, conducted interceptions, and deployed water cannons to drive them away. Beijing warned the Philippines to halt what it called infringing and provocative activities or face the consequences.
An earlier incident on Monday at Second Thomas Shoal (Renai Shoal) left two people injured.
The long-running territorial disputes dominated discussions during the three-day closed-door ASEAN foreign ministers’ meetings that began Tuesday in the Philippine capital. ASEAN ministers addressed the South China Sea situation and released a joint statement noting that some members expressed concerns over land reclamations, activities, and serious incidents that endanger safety and harm the marine environment.
The 11-member bloc’s diplomats welcomed significant progress in negotiations with China on a code of conduct intended to avert major armed conflict in the contested waters. They expressed the goal of concluding those talks this year.
