MANILA/BEIJING, July 24 — The Philippine Coast Guard has accused its Chinese counterpart of firing water cannon at government vessels near a disputed shoal for a second day, in the third confrontation between the two countries in the South China Sea this week.
A Chinese vessel at the Scarborough Shoal, located in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, came within about 7m of a Philippine fisheries boat today, creating "a serious risk of collision".
"The PCG strongly condemns the dangerous and unprofessional actions of the China Coast Guard," spokesman Jay Tarriela said in a statement.
He added that the shoal was a traditional fishing ground of Filipinos, "whose rights cannot be lawfully impeded by any foreign power".
Earlier today, China's Coast Guard said it had imposed "control measures" on several Philippine vessels that it said were operating illegally in waters around Scarborough Shoal.
A similar incident took place yesterday.
China has long occupied the shoal, deploying an armada of coast guard ships throughout the South China Sea. Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire waterway, including parts of the EEZs of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
The incident came as Southeast Asian foreign ministers concluded regional meetings in Manila that were attended by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who called Beijing's actions in the South China Sea "disturbing" and reaffirmed support for defence treaty ally the Philippines.
The two incidents at Scarborough Shoal, the South China Sea's most contested feature, followed a confrontation on Monday (July 20) at the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, 650km away, where Manila said a Filipino sailor was injured after being struck with a baton by Chinese Coast Guard personnel.
China accused the Philippine navy of ignoring warnings and of trying to ram a Chinese patrol boat, and the countries summoned each other's ambassadors in protest.
Sovereignty over the Scarborough Shoal, which China calls Huangyan Island, has not been established. A 2016 arbitration decision on a case lodged by the Philippines ruled largely in favour of Manila and said China's blockade of the shoal violated international law.
Beijing does not recognise the ruling.
