Beijing slams Philippine ships in first comment on South China Sea collision

Beijing on Friday issued its first direct comment on a reported collision in the South China Sea earlier this week, with its defence ministry strongly condemning the Philippine coastguard for “dangerous manoeuvring”.

The Philippine vessels “severely jeopardised the safety of Chinese ship personnel”, ministry spokesman Jiang Bin said, referring to the confrontation near the disputed Scarborough Shoal on Monday.

Several Philippine coastguard vessels and government ships had “illegally entered waters near China’s Huangyan Island”, he said, referring to the shoal by its Chinese name.

The Chinese coastguard “had taken measures such as surveillance, external coercion, and interception in accordance with the law to drive them away”, Jiang added, though he did not confirm whether any collision took place.

Scarborough Shoal, which the Philippines refers to as Panatag Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc, has been the scene of numerous stand-offs between rival claimants.

“Philippine coastguard vessels engaged in dangerous manoeuvres multiple times, such as high-speed ramming, sharp turns and crossing in front of Chinese vessels, creating a complex and urgent situation at sea and seriously infringing upon China’s sovereignty and rights,” Jiang said.

While he did not directly confirm whether a Chinese coastguard ship had collided with a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) naval destroyer, Jiang acknowledged that the safety of Chinese “ship personnel” had been “seriously jeopardised”, and accused the Philippines of “seriously undermining peace and stability in the South China Sea”.