Water cannon attack in the Pacific
Chinese block Philippine supply boat
March 23, 2024, 4:53 p.m
Listen to article
This audio version was artificially generated. More info | Send feedback
A few weeks ago, the Chinese coast guard fired at a Philippine supply ship with water cannons and damaged it. The ship is now back in the South China Sea. An incident occurs again.
In an incident in the South China Sea, the Chinese coast guard blocked and damaged the supply ship “Unaizah May 4” with water cannons, according to the Philippines. The Chinese coast guard and other ships had “once again harassed and blocked” the Philippines’ routine supply mission, the government said. China also “used water cannons” and undertook “dangerous maneuvers.” Information about possible injuries was not initially given.
The Philippine army released a video of the almost hour-long attack off the Second Thomas Reef in the South China Sea, where the Philippine army maintains an outpost on the grounded “BRP Sierra Madre”.
There have been several recent incidents involving Filipino and Chinese ships off the coast of the Southeast Asian country, including collisions. According to the Philippine Army, it is said to be the same supply boat that was attacked with water cannons and damaged by the Chinese coast guard at the beginning of March.
China claims virtually the entire South China Sea for itself. However, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam also claim parts of the sea area. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague declared some of the Chinese claims to be unlawful in 2016. However, Beijing does not recognize the ruling and is deploying patrol ships on the busy waterways. The country has also built and militarized artificial islands to support its claims.