MANILA\/ BEIJING
\nChina and the Philippines traded accusations over a collision in disputed waters of the South China Sea as Chinese vessels blocked Philippine boats supplying forces there on Sunday in the latest of a series of maritime confrontations.
\nThe two countries have had numerous run-ins in the South China Sea in recent months, especially in the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, part of the Spratly Islands.
\nThe Philippines has sent supplies to troops stationed on a rusted World War Two-era transport ship used as an outpost on the shoal, prompting China\u2019s coastguard to repeatedly deploy vessels to block the resupply missions.
\nIn the incident early on Sunday, China\u2019s coastguard said there had been a \u201cslight collision\u201d between one of its ships and the Philippine boat while the coastguard was \u201clawfully\u201d blocking the boat from transporting \u201cillegal construction materials\u201d to the warship.
\nManila responded by condemning \u201cin the strongest degree\u201d the \u201cdangerous blocking manoeuvres\u201d of the Chinese vessel.
\nChina\u2019s \u201cdangerous, irresponsible and illegal actions\u201d were \u201cin violation of Philippine sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction\u201d, Manila\u2019s Task Force for the West Philippine Sea said in a statement.
\nBeijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, including parts of the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 said China\u2019s claims had no legal basis.
\nThe United States expressed support for the Philippines, denouncing China\u2019s \u201cdisruption of a legal Philippine resupply mission\u201d.
\n\u201cWe stand with our Friends Partners Allies in protecting Philippine sovereignty and in support of a Free And Open IndoPacific,\u201d Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson posted on X, the platform previously known as Twitter.
\nThe Canadian and Japanese embassies in Manila also expressed support for the Philippines and alarm over the collision. The European Union\u2019s ambassador, Luc Veron, said: \u201cThese incidents, their repetition and intensification are dangerous and very disturbing.\u201d
\nManila\u2019s relations with Beijing have soured under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has strengthened military engagement with Washington since taking office last year.
\nThe Pentagon said in May it would protect the Philippines if its coastguard came under attack \u201canywhere in the South China Sea\u201d.
\nLast week, the Philippine military demanded China stop its \u201cdangerous and offensive\u201d actions after a Chinese navy ship shadowed and attempted to cut off a Philippine navy vessel conducting a resupply mission.
\nChina had warned the Philippines against further \u201cprovocations\u201d, saying such acts violated its territorial sovereignty.
\nThe Philippines \u201cwill not be deterred\u201d and will continue its regular resupply missions \u201cdespite provocations\u201d, said its national security adviser, Eduardo A\u00f1o.
\nSunday\u2019s collision occurred during a routine resupply mission of a boat contracted by the Philippine armed forces, Manila said.
\nIn another incident during the same resupply mission, it said a Philippine coastguard vessel\u2019s port side was bumped by a Chinese maritime militia vessel.
\n\u201cThe provocative, irresponsible, and illegal action\u201d of the Chinese coastguard vessel \u201cimperilled the safety of the crew\u201d of the Philippine boat, the task force said.
\nChina\u2019s coastguard said in a statement the Philippine vessel had ignored repeated warnings, crossed the bow of the Chinese ship and \u201cdeliberately provoked trouble\u201d, causing the collision.
\n\u201cThe Philippines behaviour seriously violates the international rules on avoiding collisions at sea and threatens the navigation safety of our vessels,\u201d the coastguard said.
\nManila grounded the BRP Sierra Madre warship in 1999 as part of its sovereignty claim to the Second Thomas Shoal, which lies within its 200-mile exclusive economic zone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MANILA\/ BEIJING China and the Philippines traded accusations over a collision in disputed waters of the South China Sea as Chinese vessels blocked Philippine boats supplying forces there on Sunday in the latest of a series of maritime confrontations. The two countries have had numerous run-ins in the South China Sea in recent months, especially […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-363175","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n