The Coast Guard Filipinas reported that a ship chino rammed and attacked a government vessel with water cannons during a patrol near the disputed reef Scarborough Shoal.
According to a statement from the Philippine spokesperson Jay Tarrielathe boat chino “fired a water cannon aimed directly at the navigation antennas” of the BRP Datu Pagbuaya and subsequently “intentionally rammed him before launching a second attack.”
For its part, the Coast Guard China He stated that the ships filipinos “They tried to dangerously enter” what they call their territorial waters. “We exercise control over them in accordance with the law”said spokesman Liu Dejun, referring to the reef as Huangyan Island.
The reef Scarborough Shoala chain of reefs and rocks located 240 kilometers from the island of Luzon in Filipinaswas a source of tension between both countries since China He occupied it in 2012.
Although an international ruling in 2016 declared the claim of Beijing upon these waters, China deployed patrols to restrict access to fishermen filipinosblocking a resource-rich lagoon.
A video released by Filipinas shows the moment of the most recent incident, in which the crew shouts “Collision! Collision!”while the ship chino hits the side of the BRP Datu Pagbuaya.
Another episode of tension was recently recorded on the reef pinkwhere a military helicopter chino flew over several fishing boats at low altitude filipinas. Tarriela described this act as “harassment,” while Filipinas deployed the patrol boats BRP Cape Deception y BRP Melchora Aquino to protect its citizens and reaffirm their rights in waters claimed by Beijing.
The reef pinkrich in natural resources, is another strategic point in the dispute over the sea Meridional. In September 2023, Filipinas reported that ships chinos caused severe ecological damage by destroying local corals, intensifying criticism of Beijing’s expansion in the region.
In November 2023, the president Ferdinand Marcos Jr. approved two laws to strengthen the delimitation of waters filipinaswhich provoked a strong reaction from Beijingwhich considered these measures a violation of its sovereignty. Since then, China has increased its military patrols in the region, carrying out operations classified as “combat preparation” in the area of the Scarborough Shoal.
According to a statement from People’s Liberation Armythese actions seek to “decisively protect national sovereignty and security” and “maintain peace and stability in the Sea of China Meridional”.
In the face of increasing harassment, Filipinas has received support from USAwhich has increased its military presence in the region through security agreements and intelligence sharing. Manila has maintained a firm stance in defending its sovereignty, denouncing the actions of Beijing in international forums and showing evidence of the incidents to gain diplomatic support.
The dispute over the sea Meridional keep climbing, with the reef Scarborough and the reef pink as main scenarios of a conflict that not only confronts China y Filipinasbut it has implications for security and global trade.
(With information from AFP and EFE)
