Chinese warship rams coast guard when persecution of Philippine boats

Chinese warship rams coast guard when persecution of Philippine boats

A Chinese warship recently collided with its own coastal guard ship, while it was watching Filipino boats in the controversial South China Sea. This incident illustrates the increasing tensions in one of the strategically most important shipping routes in the world.

collision details and reactions

moving recordings from the Filipino Coast Guard show the moment of the collision in which an important part of the bow of the Chinese ship was torn down. Commodore Jay Tarriela from the Filipino Coast Guard reported that the incident took place on Monday, while aid deliveries to Filipino fishermen near the controversial Scarborough Shoal, which is about 140 miles west of the Filipino island of Luzon.

dangerous maneuvers in the South China Sea

Tarriela explained that a ship of the Chinese coast guard (CCG) pursued the Filipino Patrouilla ship BRP Suluan at “high speed” when the collision happened. "Filipino boats and fishermen were endangered by risky maneuvers and blockade actions," he added, and one of the Filipino boats was shot at with a water cannon, but was able to escape a goal. He added that the Chinese ship then performed "a risky maneuver", which caused "considerable damage" on the foredeck of the Chinese coastal wax ship, which made the ship "not seaworthy".

recordings and international context

videos published by the Filipino Coast Guard show the ship of the People's Liberation Army with the fuselage number 164, a destroyer of type 052D, which lawn racing in the Chinese coastal wax ship 3104, while both pursued the much smaller BRP Suluan. At least three members of the Chinese coast guard were seen at the time of impact on the bow of CCG 3104. The Filipino Coast Guard said that it offered support immediately, including help with the rescue of people who have gone overboard and medical care for injured crew members of the Ccg.

China's statement and geopolitical tensions

China has confirmed a confrontation with Filipino ships, but so far not the collision between its own two ships. A spokesman for the Chinese coast guard, Gan Yu, said that the "Philippines had sent several coastal protection and government vehicles under the pretext to bring deliveries to fishing vehicles in order to violently penetrate the water", which China called Huangyan Dao. Gan mentioned that the Chinese coast guard "had all necessary measures, including persecution, monitoring, blocking and control, to drive away the Filipino ships". However, he ignored the incident in the open sea.

The geopolitical tensions in the South China Sea

The South China Sea remains a focus of territorial disputes between China, the Philippines and several other nations. It is an important maritime trade route through which an estimated one third of the global shipping traffic is worth trillions of dollars annually, and it is home to fishing reasons that rely on many livelihood.

summary and future developments

The confrontations between Chinese and Filipino ships have increased in recent years, which fueled fears that a serious accident could escalate into a conflict between the two countries. The Philippines are a military ally of the United States, while China, which is expanding its navy rapidly, is the most important rival of the United States in the region. Both China and the Philippines claim the Scarborough Shoal and small islands and atolls in the South China Sea.