Beijing says Philippine coastguard staged South China Sea near-collision for the benefit of journalists
- The foreign ministry says the incident, which nearly led to a crash between patrol boats, was a ‘premeditated provocation’ designed to make China look bad
- The incident, near the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, happened a day after the Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang visited Manila
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Philippines rebukes Beijing for 'dangerous manoeuvres' in South China Sea
Mao Ning, a spokeswoman for the foreign ministry, said on Friday the incident had been staged for the benefit of a group of foreign journalists on board one of the Philippine ships.
Rodel Hernandez, the captain of the Philippine patrol boat BRP Malapascua, said a Chinese vessel about twice the size of his ship had made a sudden manoeuvre to block his approach to the reef.
He said he had been forced to abruptly change course and then turn off the engine to avoid a collision with the Chinese coastguard vessel, which came within 36 to 46 metres (118-150 feet) of the bow.
Reporters watching from the second boat, about a kilometre away, said the incident had happened after a series of warnings from the Chinese side telling the two ships to leave the area.
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But Mao said the incident was the fault of the Philippine vessels, which had intruded into the Chinese waters without permission and “made deliberate, provocative moves by closing in on a Chinese coastguard vessel”.
She said the Chinese ship had been acting to safeguard the country’s sovereignty and maritime order in accordance with the law and its manoeuvres had been “professional and restrained”.
The ship “adopted timely measures to dodge the Philippine vessels when they dangerously closed in on it”, she said.
“It needs to be stressed that the Philippine vessels intruded into the waters with press staff on board. This makes it clear that it was a premeditated provocation designed to initiate friction, blame it on China and hype up the incident,” she said.
There has been a string of incidents near the Philippine-held reef, which is also claimed by mainland China, Taiwan and Vietnam.
The uninhabitable submerged coral bank lies in the eastern Spratly Islands, one of the most contested areas of the South China Sea and scene of regular confrontations between China and the Philippines.
It is only 14 nautical miles (26km) from Mischief Reef, a Chinese-controlled atoll that hosts one of the largest military bases in the disputed waters.
In May 1999, the Philippine Navy intentionally stranded a retired landing ship BRP Sierra Madre on the shoal, and has since maintained a detachment of marines on the vessel to defend its claims.
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As a result, the Chinese coastguard frequently patrols the nearby waters, trying to prevent the resupply of these Philippine marines and triggering regular confrontations.
A day before the latest incident, Qin and Marcos agreed to set up more communication channels to manage disputes in the South China Sea.
Additional reporting by Associated Press
