The Philippine Coast Guard accused China on Sunday February 11 of carrying out maneuvers “dangerous” during a nine-day patrol off the archipelago. Chinese coast guard ships “performed dangerous maneuvers and blockages on four occasions” against a Filipino patrol boat, denounces Manila in a press release.
The patrolman, BRP Teresa-Magbanuawas deployed at the beginning of February to “ensuring the safety of Filipino fishermen” around Scarborough Reef in the South China Sea, some 350 kilometers west of Manila. This reef was taken from the Philippines by Beijing in 2012.
During the mission, the patrol boat was ” follow up “ by four Chinese coast guard vessels, according to the Philippines. The Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately provide comment.
A collision in December
Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, including waters and islands near its neighbors’ coasts, and has ignored an international court’s ruling in 2016 rejecting the claim. The Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam also claim several reefs and islets in this sea, some areas of which could contain rich oil reserves.
In December, a Philippine boat and a Chinese coast guard vessel collided in the waters of the Spratly Islands, near the Second Thomas Atoll where a Philippine garrison is established. Both countries blamed each other for the incident.