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South China Sea
ChinaDiplomacy

China says Philippines rammed Chinese boats, attacked personnel in Second Thomas Shoal stand-off

  • Beijing rejects Manila’s accusations of aggression in Monday’s incident, saying Philippine forces threatened Chinese vessels

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Chinese coastguard boats approach Philippine vessels near the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea on Monday, according to footage release by the Philippine military. Photo: Handout/Armed Forces of the Philippines
Vanessa Caiin Shanghai
Beijing has hit back at Manila’s accusations of aggression in a stand-off in the South China Sea this week, saying Philippine vessels deliberately rammed Chinese boats, carried weapons and attacked Chinese personnel near a disputed shoal.
Chinese boats intercepted a Philippine vessel heading to the Second Thomas Shoal on Monday on what Manila described as a routine humanitarian resupply mission to its troops stationed on the outcrop. The shoal is part of the Spratly Islands and is claimed by both countries.

But Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said in Beijing on Thursday that the Philippine operation was “absolutely not about humanitarian resupply”.

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“The Philippine vessels secretly carried construction materials and even weapons and equipment, and they deliberately rammed Chinese vessels,” Lin said.

He said Philippine personnel “also splashed water and threw things to Chinese enforcement personnel” and the acts “clearly escalated tensions at sea and severely threatened the safety of Chinese personnel and vessels”.

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Lin’s comments followed the release on Wednesday of footage that Manila said showed Chinese personnel deploying tear gas, damaging their equipment and waving weapons.

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