MANILA
\nChina\u2019s coast guard used water cannons against a Philippine vessel in the South China Sea, badly damaging one of them and injuring its crew, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea said on Saturday.
\nThe skirmish took place days after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Manila to reiterate Washington\u2019s \u201cironclad\u201d support against Chinese influence in the disputed region that Beijing claims almost in its entirety.
\nChina\u2019s military activity in the resource-rich territory has been increasing over the past few years, with the Chinese regularly encroaching on the Philippine part of the waters, the West Philippine Sea.
\nThe Unaizah May 4 supply vessel was on its way to Ayungin Shoal \u2014 the Filipino name for the Second Thomas Shoal, an outcrop garrisoned by a unit of Philippine troops \u2014 when China\u2019s coast guard and maritime militia \u201cexecuted dangerous maneuvers against the routine RoRe (rotation and resupply) mission\u201d and two Philippine coast guard vessels that came to its rescue, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea said.
\n\u201cTheir reckless and dangerous actions culminated with the water cannoning of UM4 causing severe damage to the vessel and injuries to Filipinos onboard.\u201d
\nThe injured personnel were transferred to one of the PCG vessels, which towed the UM4 back to land.
\nChina Coast Guard spokesperson Gan Yu said that the Philippine vessels had forcibly intruded into the area \u201cdeliberately disrupting the peace and stability\u201d of the maritime region.
\n\u201cDespite multiple warnings and route controls from the Chinese side, the Filipino supply ship forcefully entered the area. The China Coast Guard lawfully and professionally implemented regulation, interception, and expulsion,\u201d Gan said in a statement.
\nPhilippine vessels have been regularly attacked by Chinese ships in the parts of the South China Sea that are internationally recognized as belonging to the Philippines.
\nIn a rare announcement, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea said on Saturday that its chairperson and the national security adviser were going to meet the executive secretary and the National Security Cluster on Monday \u201cfor purposes of making recommendations to the President.\u201d
\nThe latest in a string of maritime clashes between the two countries follows Blinken\u2019s assertion to Philippine authorities that the disputed waterways are critical not only to the security of the Philippines but also the US.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s why we stand with the Philippines and stand by our ironclad defense commitments, including under the mutual defense treaty,\u201d he told reporters in Manila earlier this week.
\nThe Philippines is Washington\u2019s key security partner in Asia under a decades-long alliance and the 1951 treaty that obliges the US to defend its ally in the case of external attack.
\nIn the past two years, the partnership has expanded under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who in February last year permitted American troops to increase their footprint in the country.
\nAmerican troops have been patrolling the South China Sea with Philippine forces since November, despite protests from Beijing, which says the US is not a party to the maritime dispute.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MANILA China\u2019s coast guard used water cannons against a Philippine vessel in the South China Sea, badly damaging one of them and injuring its crew, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea said on Saturday. The skirmish took place days after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Manila to reiterate Washington\u2019s \u201cironclad\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":395885,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-395862","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n